By Kazeem Kolawole RAJI, PhD
Just last week, the United States Coast Guard lifted a 12-year Condition of Entry restriction on vessels arriving from Nigeria, ending additional security checks imposed in 2014. The decision followed four successful U.S. audits confirming significant improvements in Nigeria’s anti-terrorism and port-security standards.
Previously, vessels transiting from Nigerian ports faced costly and stringent security scrutiny before being allowed into the United States. The removal of the restriction is therefore expected to reduce shipping costs, minimise port delays and strengthen Nigeria’s position in global trade.
This is one of the far-reaching achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and provides an appropriate context for the 2027 presidential election.
The question is: who possesses the vision, courage, experience and determination required to consolidate Nigeria’s journey towards sustainable prosperity?
By this measure, the case for President Tinubu’s re-election is compelling.
President Tinubu inherited an economy burdened by structural distortions, weak revenue mobilisation, foreign-exchange challenges, an unsustainable fuel-subsidy regime, infrastructure deficits and severe pressure on public finances. Rather than postponing difficult decisions, his administration confronted many of these challenges head-on.
The removal of the petrol subsidy and the reform of the foreign-exchange market were politically difficult but necessary steps aimed at correcting longstanding distortions, reducing waste and strengthening public finances. Recent assessments indicate that these reforms have helped stabilise public finances, strengthen foreign reserves and attract investment.
As the African proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” President Tinubu has taken consequential steps; the next phase should be about consolidating and harvesting the benefits of those reforms.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND STABILITY
The latest 2026 data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows measurable progress. Nigeria’s GDP expanded by 3.89% year-on-year in Q1 2026, up from 3.13% in Q1 2025. The non-oil sector contributed 96.08% of aggregate GDP, while manufacturing grew by 3.29%, agriculture by 3.15%, trade by 2.08%, and mining and quarrying by 1.89%.
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Inflation has also moved downward. Headline inflation fell to 15.43% in July 2026, from 15.91% in June and 15.93% in May, while month-on-month inflation slowed to 1.57%.
Foreign-exchange reforms and stronger capital inflows have also strengthened Nigeria’s external buffers, with foreign reserves rising above $52.5 billion. These developments matter because sustainable prosperity cannot be built on an unstable economic foundation.
The administration’s tax reforms similarly seek to create a modern, transparent and efficient tax system by broadening the tax base, improving compliance and providing relief for smaller businesses and vulnerable taxpayers.
INFRASTRUCTURE AS AN ECONOMIC ENABLER
Another compelling reason for continuity is the administration’s infrastructure agenda.
Major road, rail, port and power projects are being pursued across the country. The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway are designed to improve connectivity, facilitate commerce and strengthen economic integration.
Other notable projects include the 39.7-kilometre Bodo-Bonny Road, featuring 13 bridges and connecting Bonny Island to the Rivers State mainland; the completed Outer Southern Expressway and Arterial Road N20 projects in Abuja; and the rehabilitation and resurfacing of Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge.
Major ongoing projects include the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, backed by a ₦740.79 billion funding commitment, and the Abuja-Lokoja-Benin Dualisation, funded with more than ₦305 billion. The Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Eastern Rail Line and Kano-Maradi Standard Gauge Rail are also progressing and many others.
Infrastructure is more than concrete, asphalt and steel; it is an economic enabler.
INVESTING IN NIGERIA’S YOUTH
Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people, particularly its youthful population. The Tinubu administration has therefore prioritised education, technical skills, digital innovation, entrepreneurship and youth empowerment.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has expanded access to tertiary education financing, while technical and digital-skills initiatives are preparing young Nigerians for the economy of the future.
The NextGen Innovation Challenge and Tinubu Light Initiative, initiated by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) under my leadership, complement this agenda. NextGen identifies, nurtures and promotes the commercialisation of innovative Nigerian technologies, while the Tinubu Light Initiative creates pathways for renewable-energy innovations to move from prototypes to practical deployment.
Together, the programmes have a multiplier potential of generating over one million jobs annually, making them a compelling argument for continuity.
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
The administration has placed agriculture at the centre of its economic strategy. The objective goes beyond food production to developing agricultural value chains that create jobs, support agro-processing, strengthen rural economies and reduce dependence on food imports.
With sustained implementation, agriculture can become an even stronger engine of inclusive economic growth and food security.
STRENGTHENING NATIONAL SECURITY
No economy can prosper without security.
The successful rescue on July 10, 2026, of all 44 abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso, Oyo State, after 56 days in captivity without payment of ransom, demonstrates the determination to confront insecurity.
The administration has also significantly increased investment in defence and security. The 2025 budget allocated ₦6.11 trillion to national security, while the 2026 budget provided ₦5.41 trillion for defence and security, with emphasis on military modernisation, intelligence, border security and technology-driven surveillance.
The Armed Forces are being modernised through the procurement of mine-resistant and armoured vehicles and the refurbishment of more than 100 Armoured Fighting Vehicles. In July 2026, President Tinubu approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel.
Personnel welfare has also received attention. The August 2026 salary review provides for an 80% increase for soldiers from private to staff-sergeant ranks, 50% for warrant officers to colonels, and 30% for generals, raising the military’s annual wage bill from approximately ₦660 billion to ₦924 billion.
These measures demonstrate that national security is being treated as an essential foundation for economic prosperity.
RESTORING NIGERIA’S GLOBAL INFLUENCE
President Tinubu has pursued a more assertive international economic and diplomatic posture, seeking stronger partnerships, investment, trade opportunities and greater Nigerian influence.
The lifting of the U.S. maritime security restriction is a practical example of how improved standards and international cooperation can translate into economic opportunity.
THE CASE FOR CONTINUITY
Major reforms require time to produce their full benefits. The first term has focused on restructuring institutions, reforming taxation, rebuilding fiscal capacity, investing in infrastructure and human capital, strengthening security and repositioning the economy.
The second term should therefore be about consolidation, acceleration and completion.
Infrastructure projects must be completed. Economic reforms must mature. Agricultural policies must deliver increased production. Education and skills programmes must create greater opportunities for young Nigerians. Energy reforms must deliver greater reliability, while security reforms must produce safer communities.
Governing Nigeria requires more than good intentions. It requires experience, courage, strategic thinking and the capacity to translate policy into action.
The argument for 2027 is therefore an argument for continuity, consolidation and completion.
Nigeria has embarked on a difficult journey of transformation. The imperative now is to ensure that the gains of reform are not lost before they mature.
A second term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offers the opportunity to complete what has been started, deepen what is working, correct what requires improvement and accelerate the delivery of prosperity to Nigerians.
The journey has begun. The imperative now is to complete it.
Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, FCIPM(UK), FPMA(UK) is the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Technology Incubation, Abuja.
