In his 2026 Independence Day Speech, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regales citizens with the rhetorics that his government reforms have repaired Nigeria’s faulty foundation, adding that the situation is now uhuru. But Nigerians say they cannot see any repaire on ground after nealy four years of the administration, but can see only hunger and frustration on the faces of millions of the citizens
By David Oladimeji
President Bola Tinubu rose at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1, 2026, to address a nation marking 66 years of independence.
It was his fourth Independence Day broadcast since May 29, 2023.
And his first major address since returning from a three-week working vacation in France and the United Kingdom.
The message was familiar, yet firmer. Nigeria was worse than ever in 2023. He had no choice.
“The reforms that followed were difficult. Yet, we must never confuse medicine with disease,” the President said.
He then listed his scorecard: economic growth, reduced oil theft, falling inflation, stable forex, highest oil returns in 2025.
“All can see that our reforms have strengthened our economy. We have reached a turning point. The foundation has been repaired,” he declared.
It was a powerful metaphor. But on the streets, Nigerians are asking where the house is.
For many, the foundation speech sounded like a speech from a different country.
At Wuse Market, Abuja, trader Hajia Fatima Bello did not mince words.
She said inflation falling on paper has not fallen in her stall.
“A bag of rice is N85,000, a crate of egg is N7,000. Which inflation has fallen? Is it not the same market?” she asked.
In Mile 12, Lagos, fish seller Mama Nkechi laughed bitterly when she heard the replay.
She said in pidgin, “Foundation don repair, but house dey leak. My children still dey hungry.”
The critical question on most lips was petrol.
If oil theft is down and oil returns are highest in 2025, why is petrol still N1,050 to N1,150 per litre?
Commercial driver Musa Ibrahim in Kano said his daily delivery to his owner has doubled.
He said he now works 14 hours to make what he made in eight hours in 2022.
“If oil money don increase, make fuel price come down. Simple,” he said.
For students, the speech was high on economics, low on empathy.
Tolu Adebayo, a final-year student at UNILAG, said the President spoke like a World Bank report.
She said fees, accommodation and feeding have tripled, but student loans hardly reach the average student.
“We are told to be patient for three years. We only have four years in school,” she said.
At Yaba Tech, a group of students watching on a phone described it as grammar.
Daniel Etim, 22, said, “Youths will find work? Where is the work? We are learning Yahoo, not jobs.”
The farmer promise also drew criticism.
President Tinubu said farmers can now cultivate in safety.
But Sunday Ologun, a farmer in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, said bandits still tax farmers in his community.
He said he paid N100,000 last month to access his own farm.
“Which safety? We still cannot sleep in our farms,” he said.
Power, the real foundation for any economy, was mentioned as a promise.
Onitsha importer Emeka Uzor said his business runs on diesel, not on speeches.
He said one hour of public light in a day is now a miracle in his industrial cluster.
“How can foundation be repaired when there is no electricity to build on it?” he asked.
For workers, the wage reality punctured the growth claim.
Security guard John Ojo at the Federal Secretariat said the new minimum wage is not fully implemented in many states.
He said growth means nothing if salaries cannot buy a bag of rice.
The timing of the broadcast itself raised eyebrows.
Barrister Aisha Yusuf in Kaduna said the speech was politically loaded.
She noted the President returned from France on Tuesday and immediately held strategic meetings ahead of 2027.
“This was not just an independence speech. It was a re-election speech,” she said.
In Ibadan, civil servant Segun Ajayi said the low-key celebration was an admission of failure.
He said at 66, Nigeria should be showcasing achievements, not managing optics.
“What are we celebrating low-key? Poverty? We cannot even afford a parade,” he said.
The business community was not entirely convinced either.
Aba manufacturer Chief Innocent Madu said stable forex is meaningless if import duty and logistics remain high.
He said the Aba-Port Harcourt road still swallows his trucks and doubles his costs.
Ride-hailing driver Femi Alao in Lekki said the prosperity promised feels like a gated estate.
He said the rich are inside, while the poor are outside hearing about it.
He said his rent moved from N600,000 to N1.2 million in two years.
Social media captured the anger more bluntly.
By 8 a.m., #MedicineOrDisease and #FoundationRepaired were trending on X.
User @Pooja wrote, “Three years of medicine, patient is still in ICU. When will patient stand up?”
Another user posted, “66 years old, still repairing foundation. Other countries are building skyscrapers.”
Even supporters of the administration admitted the gap between data and dinner.
Dr Tunde Bakare, a business analyst in Abuja, said inflation has indeed fallen statistically to about 20 per cent.
But he admitted that food inflation remains above 30 per cent, and that is what people feel.
Retired teacher Mrs Grace Obianuju, 67, in Enugu, said independence at 66 should bring reflection, not self-praise.
She said her pension is now worthless due to devaluation, despite forex stability.
And in Abeokuta, Pa Adeola, 72, who heard Azikiwe’s speech as a boy in 1960, gave the final verdict.
He said, “They said foundation is repaired. I am too old to wait for another foundation. Let them build the house before I die.”
Leading opposition presidential candidates also picked holes in Tinubu’s address.
Atiku tackles Tinubu over national budget, ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ promises
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the federal budget, questioning the government’s decision to extend the implementation of the 2025 budget into 2026 while simultaneously operating a 2026 budget.
Atiku spoke on Thursday at the ADC national headquarters in Abuja in his Independence Day address, where he also challenged Tinubu to account for promises on lower transport fares and other relief measures.
He said the overlapping budget arrangements had weakened transparency and made it difficult for Nigerians to determine what government had funded, completed or left outstanding.
“You have just signed an extension keeping the 2025 budget in operation until the last day of 2026. The 2026 budget exists alongside it. Soon, your government will ask Nigerians to examine a 2027 budget,” Atiku said.
“How many budgets must be open at once before you can tell the country what was funded, what was completed and what remains unpaid? A budget should be a timetable for delivery, not a ball passed from one year to the next,” he added.
Tinubu’s administration initially operated the 2025 budget before its implementation was extended into 2026, while the 2026 Appropriation Act is also in force.
