REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, ALHAJI MOHAMMED IDRIS, FNIPR, AT THE INDEPENDENCE DAY PUBLIC LECTURE TO MARK NIGERIA’S 66TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, ABUJA, WEDNESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2026
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It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this Independence Anniversary Public Lecture, as we commemorate 66 years of Nigeria’s journey as an independent nation.
Independence anniversaries invite us to look back with gratitude, reflect honestly on the present, and renew our confidence in the future.
Sixty-six years ago, our founding fathers and heroines took up the responsibility of building one nation from our remarkable diversity. They believed that Nigerians, despite our differences, could forge a common destiny.
Today, that baton is in our hands. And at this important moment in our national journey, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, holds the baton of leadership, with the responsibility of steering Nigeria through necessary reforms towards stability, growth and shared prosperity.
This is why the theme of this anniversary, “From Reforms to Stability: Consolidating Nigeria’s Renewed Hope for Shared Prosperity,” is particularly significant.
The reforms of the past three years have not been easy. They have demanded sacrifice and patience from Nigerians. But they have also begun the difficult process of correcting longstanding structural weaknesses and laying stronger foundations for the future.
The goal of President Tinubu is that the benefits of reform reach ordinary citizens.
Indeed, there are encouraging signs. Our economy recorded 4.43 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2026. Domestic refining capacity is expanding, investment is returning to critical sectors, and major infrastructure projects are progressing across the country.
Our goal is clear: to turn reform into stability, stability into growth, and growth into a new era of shared prosperity in which every Nigerian can aspire, work and prosper.
Government cannot accomplish this alone. The private sector, media, civil society, traditional and religious institutions, academia and citizens all have important roles to play.
The media, particularly as we approach another electoral cycle, carries a special responsibility to promote informed public discourse anchored on facts, verification and national cohesion. Political differences are legitimate in a democracy; they must never diminish our common identity as Nigerians.
At 66, Nigeria remains a continuing project. Every generation receives the baton, runs its course and passes it forward.
Our responsibility today is to move Nigeria further along the road to prosperity, security and national unity.
Let us therefore renew our faith in our country and our commitment to building the Nigeria we all desire.
Happy 66th Independence Anniversary!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
