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SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS, FNIPR, AT THE END-OF-YEAR PRESS CONFERENCE, HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2025, AT THE NICON LUXURY HOTEL, ABUJA
Protocols.
Distinguished Colleagues, 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.
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.
In this joyous season, the Federal Government empathizes with the parents of the pupils for the anguish the abduction has caused them, and wishes them a pleasant family reunion, a good healing process, Compliments of the Season and a Merry Christmas.
I stand before you today, on the directive of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to review the outgoing year, account for the trust you placed in this administration, and to present an unequivocal blueprint for the year ahead.
Let me present highlights of the 2025 scorecard:
* 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 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* President Tinubu in 2025 approved the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture with N1.5 trillion – the biggest single boost to agriculture financing in our recent history.
* 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:
o The 750-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, linking our entire southern coastline.
o The 1,068-kilometer Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, bridging the North-West to the South-West.
o The 477-kilometer Trans-Saharan Highway, traversing from Calabar to the FCT.
o The 422-kilometer Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Expressway, integrating the North-Central and North-East.
o These are not conventional roads. They are being built with reinforced concrete pavement designed to last 50 to 100 years, drastically cutting future maintenance costs and promoting local content.
Empowering the next generation
* For our young people, 2025 has been a bumper year in targeted and catalytic policy making and implementation:
o The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has now supported over 788,000 Nigerian students with interest-free loans and stipends amounting to over 150 billion Naira.
o The Federal Government of Nigeria's Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme officially kicked off during the year, with an anchor investment in a new multi-million-dollar venture fund that will support the creative and digital entrepreneurship aspirations of young Nigerians.
o In 2025 the Federal Government launched the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), offering equity-free financing of up to ₦50 million for undergraduate innovators in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines, across accredited tertiary institutions. With this new intervention, we are nurturing the seeds of entrepreneurship in our campuses and turning our brightest minds into job creators, not just job seekers.
o The Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme made significant progress during the year, as it builds Africa’s largest digital army.
A new security architecture
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!
A respected player on the global stage
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.
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.
Indeed, Nigeria is no longer on the sidelines; we are a confident and strategic partner on the global stage, defending our national interests and attracting beneficial partnerships. Just last month we regained our Category C seat on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council for the 2026–2027 biennium; a celebrated comeback following 14 years of absence.
Also in 2025, various Nigerians assumed significant international positions across various sectors, including Chairperson of the Council of the World Customs Organisation, Executive Director of the World Health Organisation’s Health Emergencies Programme, Vice Chair of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council, and Vice President of the International Association for Ports and Harbours in Tokyo. Additionally, this year we secured hosting rights for the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) 2026, and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027, one of the largest trade gatherings on the African continent.
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.
In the media, information and communications space, this year, Nigeria secured the hosting rights for both the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) and the 2026 African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference. We made history by becoming only the second African country ever to host the WPRF, and the first ever to host both the APRA Conference and the WPRF in the same year.
We also received official affirmation from UNESCO of the hosting right granted to Nigeria for the world's first Media & Information Literacy (MIL) Institute, and I am delighted to note that the Institute will officially take off in the first quarter of 2026.
The 2026 Budget: A blueprint for security and prosperity
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Just last week, to end the year on a high note, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, the aptly named "Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.”
At 58.18 trillion Naira, this is a budget of historic ambition and focus, featuring:
* The largest ever capital expenditure allocation of ₦26.08 trillion for tangible infrastructure, roads, rail, power, and ports
* The single biggest allocation of N5.41 trillion is to Defence and Security, a direct investment in protecting lives, property, and prosperity, through modern equipment for our armed forces, a new national intelligence architecture, and a secure digital border surveillance system.
* This budget is funded by prudent assumptions: oil at $64.85/barrel, production at 1.84 million barrels/day, and an exchange rate of N1,400/$. We will fund the deficit through an aggressive, digitized revenue mobilization drive, ensuring that every liable entity pays its fair share, without imposing unfair burdens on anyone.
* President Tinubu has also vowed that 2026 will see a full unification of our existing budget cycles, and we will henceforth operate on a single unified budget that is backed by a single revenue cycle.
That budget sets the stage for a year in which the landmark new Tax Reform Laws will go into operation, ushering in an era of fiscal growth and a deepening of the social contract between the government and the people. We call for the understanding of Nigerians in this regard, as it promises a new era of accountability in revenue generation and government expenditure.
Conclusion
My dear colleagues, the journey of 2025 was one of reinforcing and strengthening foundations. The mission of 2026 is to raise the edifice of a secure, competitive, and prosperous Nigeria upon it.
The temporary pains of reform are yielding to permanent gains. President Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria is big, his strategy unambiguous, and his resolve unshakeable. We are consolidating stability, protecting our homeland, empowering our youth, and building a nation where every citizen has the agency to thrive.
This is the Nigeria we are building together. A Nigeria, truly on the move.
Once again, Compliments of the Season. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mohammed Idris, fnipr
Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Monday, December 22, 2025
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