By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
ECONOMIC REFORMS of President Bola Tinubu has rescued Nigeria’s finances from a near-catastrophic breakdown and returned macroeconomic indicators to a path of solvency, according to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State.
Addressing a national audience during The Platform Nigeria on June 12, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor credited Tinubu with executing audacious structural adjustments that reversed what he described as a “tipping point” in the country’s economic trajectory.
Soludo recalled that when the current administration took office in 2023, the economy resembled a “standing dead horse,” with public finance teetering on collapse.
He stated that without the administration’s decisive actions, Nigeria risked mass retrenchments and delayed salary and pension payments.
According to Soludo, the fiscal landscape has since improved, with renewed credibility from international institutions like the World Bank, IMF, and global ratings agencies, which he once openly criticised.
Speaking on the theme Rebuilding Our Nation, Soludo challenged Nigeria’s political class to align ideologically and abandon personality-driven politics.
He argued that meaningful change will require issue-based debate and policy thinking rooted in national interest rather than transactional considerations.
Despite varied expert commentary on the country’s economic recovery, Soludo cautioned critics to back their analyses with empirical rigour and provide implementable alternatives.
He affirmed the need for critical self-examination and civic responsibility among Nigerians as prerequisites for transformation.
While the public discourse often dwells on economic indices, the Anambra governor believes Nigeria’s path to prosperity also depends on the ethical fibre and patriotic resolve of its people.
He called for a national rebirth built on integrity, hard work, and civic duty, warning that a culture obsessed with instant wealth and shortcuts undermines reform.
Citing recent federal and state-level initiatives, including the NELFUND student loan programme and Anambra’s One Youth, Two Skills scheme, Soludo described these as long-term investments in Nigeria’s human capital.
He maintained that strategic support for youth and vulnerable populations could foster a new class of citizens committed to nation-building.
Soludo argued that building a prosperous society requires Nigerians to own their future by abandoning complacency and entitlement.
He urged a collective national effort, including legislative and cultural responses, to combat pervasive beliefs in magical wealth, which he said enables transactional governance to flourish.
Reinforcing his call for unity and values-based leadership, he urged the country to embrace ethical realignment and break the cycle of opportunism and short-termism in governance.
Describing it as a national emergency, Soludo insisted the conversation must begin now and span every sector—from education and politics to media and community life.
