President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has worked hard to meet public expectation in critical sectors of the economy, Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris said yesterday.
Listing the gains of the administration, he said poverty reduction, improved Gross Domestic Product (GDP), better security focus, stable power supply and investment inflow have been achieved.
Idris, who also outlined the projections for next year, said the gains would be consolidated by the administration, adding that the President would break new grounds.
The minister said the 67 ambassadorial-nominees who had been screened by the Senate would be deployed to their stations next year.
Idris said any armed group that kidnaps children, attacks farmers and terrorises communities would be classified as a terrorist organisation.
Idris added: “In the area of security, 2025 saw the presidential declaration of a nationwide security emergency, that will in the months ahead translate into massive recruitment into the Armed Forces and Police Force, and the deployment of trained and equipped Forest Guards to secure our forests and other vulnerable locations.
”We have also established, in 2025, a new national counterterrorism doctrine—anchored on four critical pillars: unified command, intelligence, community stability, and counterinsurgency.
”Let me be clear about what this means: That henceforth, any armed group that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, or terrorizes our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist organization. The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over.”
The minister reiterated President Tinubu’s determination to contain insecurity as reflected in the 2026 budget and declaration of State of emergency on security.
He expressed delight at the return of the 130 pupils abducted from St Mary St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, saying that they were released due to the efforts of security agencies.
The minister said: “It is appropriate we start this end-of-year press conference by reamplifying the good news that came yesterday from the Office of the National Security Adviser, that the abducted 130 pupils of the St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, were released yesterday (Sunday).
“With this development, it can be confirmed that all the abducted pupils, numbering 230, have been freed. Not a single pupil is left in captivity due to the efforts of our security agencies.”
Idris said the mission of 2026 is to raise the edifice of a secure, competitive, and prosperous Nigeria upon it.
He said the 2026 budget for security is huge, with the single biggest allocation of N5.41 trillion to Defence and Security.
He said the huge budget represents a direct investment in protecting lives, property, and ensuring prosperity, through modern equipment for the armed forces, a new national intelligence architecture, and a secure digital border surveillance system.
On the administration’s performance in 2025, the minister said all indices indicated an upward swing.
He said: “Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.98% in the third quarter of 2025, demonstrating resilient and sustained expansion in the non-oil sector.
“Significantly, headline inflation has now declined for eight consecutive months, to stand at 14.45% in November 2025. Food inflation is also on a steady downward trend.
“Our external reserves have strengthened to approximately $44.56 billion, providing a robust buffer that stabilises our currency and assures international investors.
“Nigeria recorded a trade surplus of N6.69 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, a 27.29 percent growth year-on-year.
“The most recent Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data – an important measure of business sentiment – indicates that Nigeria has now seen 12 consecutive months of expansion in economic activities.”
On power, the minister said the country recorded the highest ever daily energy of 128 370.75 megamegawhours nationwide.
He said: “On March 4, 2025, Nigeria recorded a maximum daily energy of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours (MWh) nationwide—the highest ever in our history.
“Also in the power sector, 2025 saw the kick-off of the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), as well as the issuance of the first Bond under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, the single largest coordinated financial intervention in the history of our power sector.
“The nation also recorded an increase in investors’confidence with a massively oversubscribed government issued bonds.
“A massively oversubscribed Eurobond issuance, attracting orders amounting to 400% of the target of $2.3 billion USD; demonstrating strong investor confidence in our macroeconomic reforms.”
Also, in the year under review, he said: “Nigeria exited the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List, reflecting sustained and coordinated reforms in combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes, and marking the start of a new reputational and operational chapter for our financial sector.”
Idris said President Tinubu also approved the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture with N1.5 trillion – the biggest single boost to agriculture financing in our recent history.
He pointed out that government also invested over N1.5 trilloon on infrastructure.
Idris added: “We committed to deploying over 1.5 trillion Naira in investments in road infrastructure in 2025 alone, the largest such commitment in our nation’s history; based on our firm belief that an economy cannot grow faster than the infrastructure that supports it.”
“At the heart of this effort are our Four Legacy Highway Projects, engineered to connect every region and unlock new economic corridors:
“The 750-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, linking our entire southern coastline.
“The 1,068-kilometer Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, bridging the North-West to the South-West.
“The 477-kilometer Trans-Saharan Highway, traversing from Calabar to the FCT.
“The 422-kilometer Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Expressway, integrating the North-Central and North-East.”
The minister outlined government programmes aimed at empowering the youth, which include: “the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has now supported over 788,000 Nigerian students with interest-free loans and stipends amounting to over N150 billion.”
The minister also disclosed that the ambassadorial nominees will resume at their posts next year.
Idris disclosed that their resumption will boost the country’s engagements at global levellevel.
He said: “In 2026, our newly appointed Ambassadors will take up their posts in their countries of assignment, strengthening our bilateral relations and advancing our visibility and strategic engagements in the global community.”
On the global stage, the minister said Nigeria has become a respected global player.
Besides, he said Nigeria has been able to resolve its issues with the United States amicably through diplomatic means.
He clarified that Nigeria-US Relations is not damaged.
Idris stressed: “On the international stage, in 2025, we navigated complex international diplomacy with maturity and principle. The recent diplomatic spat with the United States has been resolved through firm, respectful engagement, culminating in a strengthened partnership.”
To underscore his claim, the minister revealed that Nigeria and the U.S recently signed a five year bilateral health agreement running into over N5 billion.
He added: “Just last week, the Federal Government of Nigeria signed a five-year, $5.1B bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of the United States – in which the US will provide $2.1B in grant funding, while Nigeria commits $3 billion. This has been described as the largest co-investment by any country to date under the America First Global Health Strategy. It will strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, save lives, and attract investment.”
