President Bola Tinubu has compared Nigeria’s economic condition in 2023 to that of a cancer patient requiring painful but necessary treatment, insisting that the reforms introduced by his administration did not cause the country’s economic problems.

Tinubu stated this in his nationwide address to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

The President said Nigeria was facing severe economic distortions, rising poverty and dwindling hope when his administration assumed office, making difficult reforms unavoidable.

According to him, successive governments had postponed necessary decisions and relied on measures that only addressed the symptoms of deeper economic problems.

He said Nigeria in 2023 was like a cancer patient given the choice between undergoing painful treatment or taking morphine to suppress the pain while allowing the disease to worsen.

“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came,” Tinubu said.

He explained that his administration decided to confront the underlying problems through reforms, despite the immediate hardships associated with the measures.

“When this Administration assumed office, we resolved to do things differently. We chose to excise the cancer. The reforms that followed were difficult. The side effects were real. Yet, we must never confuse the medicine with the disease,” he said.

Tinubu maintained that the reforms did not create Nigeria’s economic weaknesses but were introduced to address them.

“Our reforms did not create the weaknesses in our economy. They confronted them,” the President said.

He also defended the continued implementation of the reforms, cautioning against attempts to reverse them and return to what he described as unsustainable subsidy arrangements.

Tinubu said the economy had begun to show signs of recovery, citing growth of more than four per cent, contributions from the oil and non-oil sectors, a decline in inflation and improved foreign exchange stability.

“Oil theft is down. Inflation has fallen substantially from its peak. Our foreign reserves have been rebuilt, our foreign exchange market has stabilised, and in 2025 this country recorded its highest revenue from non-oil exports in its history, exceeding $6 billion.

“This is real money being made by real Nigerian businesses,” he said.