Independence Day: ‘Nigeria Was Like A Sick Patient’ – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has likened Nigeria’s economic condition before his administration came into office to that of a cancer patient being kept on morphine, arguing that successive governments focused on easing symptoms instead of confronting the underlying problems.

Naija News reports that Tinubu made the comparison in his 66th Independence Day address to Nigerians, while defending the economic reforms his administration implemented.

The President said Nigeria faced worsening poverty and declining public confidence by 2023, leaving his government with what he described as difficult choices it could no longer avoid.

He illustrated the situation with the example of a patient diagnosed with cancer who must choose between undergoing painful treatment or relying on medication that merely suppresses the symptoms.

“Nigeria was like a sick patient who receives the terrible news that he has cancer. His doctor explains that the treatment will be difficult and painful, but that it offers a strong prospect of recovery.

“The patient has a choice. He can begin treatment, endure its discomfort and fight the disease. Or he can ask only for morphine, dull the pain and leave the cancer to spread,” Tinubu said.

The President argued that previous administrations repeatedly postponed difficult economic decisions, allowing structural weaknesses to become more entrenched.

According to him, large sums were spent maintaining systems he described as inefficient, while successive governments passed unresolved problems from one generation to another.

“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came.

“They focused on symptoms while allowing the disease to take hold deep within the fabric of our society. We spent enormous sums sustaining inefficient arrangements that were never intended to last. We hid from difficult truths and passed the consequences from one generation to the next,” he said.

Tinubu said his administration chose a different route when it assumed office, opting to tackle what it considered the root causes of the economic difficulties.

“When this Administration assumed office, we resolved to do things differently. We chose to excise the cancer,” he said.

The President acknowledged that the reforms had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians, but maintained that the measures’ consequences should not be mistaken for the economic problems they were meant to correct.

He said the government knew the process would be difficult but considered the reforms necessary to reposition the economy.

“The reforms that followed were difficult. The side effects were real. Yet, we must never confuse the medicine with the disease,” he said.

Tinubu also warned against abandoning the reforms and returning to what he described as an unsustainable subsidy regime.

He urged Nigerians to remember the reasons behind the reforms and the progress he said had been recorded since their implementation.

Tinubu said, “Our reforms did not create the weaknesses in our economy. They confronted them.

“Now, as certain influential but regressive voices would have us abandon the treatment and return ourselves to the abuse of addictive subsidies, we must resist their siren song. We must remember why we began this journey and how far we have already come.”

The President said the Nigerian economy had shown signs of improvement about three and a half years after the reforms began.

“Three and a half years later, the evidence that Nigeria’s economic outlook has improved is undeniable,” he said.

Tinubu cited economic growth of more than four per cent in 2026, saying both the oil and non-oil sectors had contributed to what he described as sustained growth.

He also listed reduced oil theft, lower inflation from its previous peak, increased foreign reserves and improved stability in the foreign exchange market as indicators of progress.

According to the President, Nigeria also recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025, which he described as the country’s highest-ever figure.

“This is real money being made by real Nigerian businesses,” he said.

Tinubu further argued that the economic changes were not merely claims by his administration, saying international organisations and other observers had recognised the reforms’ impact.

“These are not idle claims. International observers, journalists, NGOs and multilateral institutions can see the change. Each has concluded that our reforms have strengthened Nigeria’s economic stability and resilience,” he said.

The President added that the private sector had responded positively to the government’s economic direction, while foreign direct investment had continued to increase.

He maintained that the next phase of the administration’s economic agenda would be to ensure that the gains from the reforms translated into improved living conditions and broader prosperity for Nigerians.