By Deji Abdulwahab
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, says Nigeria is on the path to sustained prosperity, cautioning Nigerians against comments that Nigeria is on the brink of collapse.
Idris said this on Thursday in Abuja at the 2026 Voice of Nigeria (VON) Forum themed “51 Years of Nigeria’s Role in Deepening Democratic Stability in ECOWAS.”
He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained focused on repositioning Nigeria as a leading nation in Africa.
According to him, we must reject the utterly false narrative that the country is on the brink of collapse.
“Even though yesterday I made a statement at the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) forum that Nigeria is not on the brink of any collapse.
“We have heard these stories over and over again.Those who are peddling these stories are also preparing how to live in Nigeria, preparing how to grow their businesses, grow their formations.
“You cannot have a country that is about to collapse and you are there planning how to live within it. I think that we need to rethink how we make these statements.
“What do you think others from outside this country will think of us if all the time we project our country as a country that is about to collapse? We have seen and heard this rhetoric over and over again.
“I think this is a time for deeper reflection, no matter where our differences are. Yes, we do indeed acknowledge as a government that we do have challenges,” the minister said.
He said security and economic challenges facing the country were being confronted head-on by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Indeed, Nigeria is on a march towards sustained prosperity, not collapse, and this is the direction that all of us should think about and march on.
“This narrow mindset does not reflect the current realities of governance, security management and ongoing economic reforms across the country,” he said.
The minister said Nigeria remained stable, functional and firmly on the path of recovery and growth.
He said the 2026 budget allocated N5.41 trillion to security, the highest sectoral allocation, to procure modern military equipment and strengthen operations.
“President Bola Tinubu has announced a reset of Nigeria’s security architecture, and armed forces are in unified command, intelligence coordination and community stability. The results are tangible.”
He recalled that in 2025, the armed forces neutralised several top terror commanders and rescued over 2,000 kidnapped hostages nationwide.
He added that under military operation, troops arrested over 669 suspects and rescued nearly 1,000 hostages.
“The joint Nigerian-U.S. acquisition airstrikes were carried out against ISIS, and Nigeria has also championed ECOWAS’ initiative to raise 2.5 billion dollars annually for a 260,000-strong regional counterterrorism brigade.
“So, Nigeria is contributing not just to our own stability but also the stability of our continent, especially the West African sub-region and areas of our neighbours around the Sahel region.
“This projection is unmistakably one of a nation confronting its difficulties with resolve and with growing capacity,” the minister said.
According to him, President Tinubu is not shying away from his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief, but we also know that the work is not yet over.
“It is a continuous work we need to do to ensure that we bring lasting security to our country.”
The minister, who said the indicators were very encouraging economically, added that foreign subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms were stabilising public finances.
According to him, inflation has eased from about 30 per cent in 2024 to around 15 per cent by the end of 2025.
“This certainly is not a story of a country that is about to collapse, where inflation is easing almost half. You can’t say a country is collapsing because you have some challenges.
“Our inflation is around 15 per cent now as we speak. Foreign direct investment is on the rise. Our GDP is over 4 per cent, beating our own projection of 3.3 per cent.
“For the first time in 13 years, Nigeria has a foreign reserve in excess of 50 billion dollars. This is not the example of a country that is about to collapse.
“For the first time in the last quarter of 2025, the Financial Action Task Force has delisted Nigeria from the so-called grey list, enabling us now to do more business with our international partners.This is not an example of a country that is about to collapse.”
He urged Nigerians to promote positive national narratives capable of attracting investment and strengthening national confidence.
He said the U.S. government collaborated with Nigeria to invest in the country’s health sector, improving its medical industrialisation.
“This is not the story of a country that is about to collapse. I think it is important for all of us to think positively, no matter what our differences and challenges are, and think forward and find the right way to protect our country.
“We cannot be asking for foreign direct investment, and be telling ourselves again that our country is collapsing.
“The World Bank, the IMF, the MasterCard, the Economic Institute project GDP growth of 4.2 per cent, in 2026. This is outpacing global growth of 3.1 per cent,” the minister said.
He said that while global economic growth was projected at 3.1 per cent, Nigeria’s economy was expected to grow between 4.2 per cent and 4.4 per cent in 2026.
The minister added that, for the first time in a decade, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected Nigeria to overtake Algeria and become Africa’s third largest economy by 2036.
He said that social intervention programmes and infrastructure investments had been expanded to address poverty and support vulnerable citizens, adding that this further contradicted claims that the country was collapsing.
Also speaking, the Director-General of VON, Malam Jibrin Ndace, said the VON forum aligned with the renewable agenda of President Tinubu.
Ndace said the forum reflected a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, promoting national cohesion, and advancing dialogue as a cornerstone of sustainable development.
According to him, it equally aligns with the strategic direction of the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
“By fostering informed public discourse and promoting civil responsibility, this forum reinforces the minister’s mandate of effective communication and national cohesion.
“More importantly, this forum offers an opportunity to honour the legacy of our founding fathers, especially Gen.Yakubu Gowon (rtd), the only surviving head of state among the original signatory to ECOWAS.”
The director-general recalled that in 1975, Nigeria’s founding fathers looked into the future and thought that they needed to bring the regional core together.
“Today, we have just one of them alive in Nigeria, an elder statesman, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), who is in his 90s,” he said.
He said the forum celebrated diplomats, journalists and members of the armed forces who contributed to regional peace and stability. (NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
