By Nick Ibe, Abuja

The Federal Government has been urged to ensure the country’s economic recovery translates into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, said this in a statement issued by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday. He pointed out that the success of economic reforms should ultimately be measured by whether families can afford basic necessities, young people can secure decent jobs and communities can live in safety.

The body welcomed the shift from an era of economic reforms to an era of prosperity, while cautioning that economic statistics alone should not be the measure of progress.

CAN implored government to make reductions in the cost of food, transportation and energy as priorities, stressing that Nigerians who had endured years of economic hardship deserved meaningful relief in their daily lives.

CAN also advocated stronger social protection for vulnerable Nigerians, including improved access to education, healthcare and affordable credit.

It urged the government to ensure that such interventions were transparently administered and protected from diversion, insisting that prosperity that failed to reach ordinary households remained incomplete.

On security, the association said there could be no meaningful prosperity in an environment where citizens were unable to farm, trade, travel or sleep peacefully because of fear.

It therefore called for sustained action to protect lives, secure communities and restore public confidence across the country.

The association also cautioned political actors ahead of the 2027 elections against presenting politicians as messiahs, while urging Christians to exercise their freedom to support or criticise political candidates without dragging the name of Jesus Christ into partisan rivalry.

“No politician is the Messiah,” CAN stated, warning against the use of Christianity and the name of Jesus Christ as a political weapon.

The association reaffirmed its commitment to remaining a non-partisan moral voice in the country, saying it would continue to commend what was right, speak when citizens were hurting and hold leaders to the values of justice, accountability and compassion.

CAN thus congratulated Nigerians on the Independence anniversary and called for a new phase in which the promise of national prosperity would be reflected in the everyday lives of citizens.

All of us at Press Icon Media Ltd wish you, esteemed advertisers, friends, associates, well-wishers, readers and the general public,
Happy Independence Day celebrations, as our only dear country, Nigeria, clocks 66 years.

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By Felix Umande

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria has passed the phase of emergency economic reforms and is now entering an “age of prosperity” focused on lowering the cost of living and creating jobs.

In his 66th Independence Day broadcast to the nation on Thursday, the President said his administration met a near-collapsed economy in 2023 and had no choice but to take painful decisions, likening Nigeria to a cancer patient who must choose between painful treatment and temporary relief through morphine.

“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came,” Tinubu said, adding that his government chose to “excise the cancer” by removing inefficient arrangements and subsidies.

He said the reforms, though difficult, have yielded results, citing over 4% economic growth this year, reduction in oil theft, fall in inflation, rebuilding of foreign reserves, stabilization of the foreign exchange market, and record non-oil exports exceeding $6 billion in 2025.

According to the President, the central task of his government has now shifted from correcting the nation’s economic course to delivering shared and widespread prosperity.

Tinubu said his administration will prioritize bringing down the cost of living by lowering the cost of producing and moving food and goods, through mechanized irrigation, dry-season farming, improved access to seeds and fertilizer, storage, and investment in roads, railways and ports.

He said the government will also focus on jobs, enterprise and industrial growth by using gas to power industries, reviving factories, expanding digital connectivity and supporting businesses with infrastructure and finance.

Acknowledging hardship among vulnerable households, the President said direct support will be strengthened through an improved National Social Register, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), consumer credit via CREDICORP, and improved primary healthcare and basic education.

“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he said.

President Tinubu urged Nigerians not to return to old ways, saying “Nigeria has corrected its course. We have passed through our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back.”