{"id":4827,"date":"2026-10-01T20:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T20:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=4827"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:36:52","slug":"66th-independence-nigeria-is-on-path-to-stronger-more-prosperous-economy-prof-yilwatda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=4827","title":{"rendered":"66th Independence: Nigeria is on path to stronger, more prosperous economy &#8211;Prof. Yilwatda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong><em>Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman, All Progressives Congress felicitated with Nigerians on attainment of the country&#8217;s 66th Independence, describing this year&#8217;s anniversary as a moment to celebrate the resilience, unity, and enduring faith of Nigerians in the greatness of the West African country<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), has felicitated with Nigerians on the attainment of Nigeria\u2019s 66th Independence as a nation.<\/p>\n<p>Yilwatda described this year&#8217;s anniversary as a moment to celebrate the resilience, unity and enduring faith of Nigerians in the greatness of their country.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"bV5f5pjwib\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=4823\">NCC, ALTON open zero-rated data access to educational platforms for learners nationwide<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cNCC, ALTON open zero-rated data access to educational platforms for learners nationwide\u201d \u2014 Consumer Experience Is A Top Priority\" src=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=4823&amp;embed=true#?secret=43Xf9UjbIU#?secret=bV5f5pjwib\" data-secret=\"bV5f5pjwib\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The National Chairman also congratulated Nigerians at home, in the Diaspora, and commended citizens for their sacrifices, patience and determination in navigating the difficult challenges confronting the nation.<\/p>\n<p>He also said Nigeria\u2019s journey since independence has not been without difficulties, but the country has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to overcome adversity, reinvent itself and move forward.<\/p>\n<p>The APC National Chairman, in a statement by Abimbola Tooki, his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a difficult economic situation.<\/p>\n<p>Yilwatda said Tinubu&#8217;s administration took the politically difficult decision to undertake fundamental reforms designed to correct longstanding structural distortions, and place the economy on a more sustainable footing.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, these include the removal of the petrol subsidy, reforms to the Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, efforts at strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation, monetary and fiscal reforms, and measures aimed at attracting investment and strengthening productive sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n<p>The National Chairman of APC also stated these reforms have involved significant short-term sacrifices for Nigerians, but said there were increasingly measurable signs of macroeconomic stabilisation.<\/p>\n<p>The World Bank has reported stronger economic growth, improved fiscal and external positions, rising foreign-exchange reserves and a more stable foreign-exchange market as important outcomes of the reform programme.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s real GDP grew by 4.2 percent in the first half of 2026, according to the World Bank, while gross foreign reserves reached $51.9 billion at the end of July 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Yilwatda also pointed to developments in the energy sector, investment, digital economy and social protection as evidence that the reform programme is increasingly moving beyond stabilisation towards structural transformation.<\/p>\n<p>He said the objective must ultimately, be an economy that creates jobs, expands opportunities for young Nigerians, strengthens businesses, improves infrastructure and delivers a better quality of life for families.<\/p>\n<p>The statement noted Yilwatda said: \u201cWe acknowledge the progress that has been recorded and, more importantly, recognise that the work is not finished.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Economic stabilisation will now translate more rapidly into improved household incomes, employment, food security and greater opportunities for our people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The National Chairman said the APC recognises that democracy is ultimately about improving the lives of citizens and that political leadership must therefore remain accountable to the people.<\/p>\n<p>He assured Nigerians that the party would continue to support policies that promote economic growth, national security, social inclusion, investment and institutional development.<\/p>\n<p>Yilwatda urged Nigerians to use the 66th Independence Anniversary to reflect soberly on the country\u2019s journey, the challenges that remain and the opportunities before the nation.<\/p>\n<p>He urged citizens to examine the records, policies, programmes and future plans of all political parties and candidates as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, and to participate actively in the democratic process.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Yilwatda expressed confidence that Nigeria has the human resources, natural endowments and entrepreneurial energy required to emerge as a stronger and more prosperous nation.<\/p>\n<p>The National Chairman of the governing party said the APC would continue to work with the Federal Government, state governments, elected representatives and Nigerians across the country to consolidate the gains of reform and build a more productive, secure and united Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>Yilwatda, therefore, urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and patriotic, saying that the challenges of today should not obscure the enormous possibilities of tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>He equally stated: \u201cOn this 66th Independence Anniversary, let us celebrate Nigeria, believe in Nigeria and continue to work together for the Nigeria we all desire.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our best days are still ahead of us. The task before us is to ensure that the reforms and sacrifices of today translate into lasting prosperity and opportunity for generations yet unborn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wished all Nigerians a happy 66th Independence Anniversary, and prayed for continued peace, stability, prosperity and unity across the Federal Republic of Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman, All Progressives Congress felicitated with Nigerians on attainment of the country&#8217;s 66th Independence, describing this year&#8217;s anniversary as a moment&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman of APC","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"default","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-infoeducation","category-regulators"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc.png",672,365,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc-300x163.png",300,163,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc.png",672,365,false],"large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc.png",672,365,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc.png",672,365,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nentawe-Goshwe-Yilwatda-Prof-cc.png",672,365,false]},"author_info":{"info":["ConsumerConnect"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=20\" rel=\"category\">Highlights<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=3\" rel=\"category\">InfoEducation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=8\" rel=\"category\">Regulators<\/a>","tag_info":"Regulators","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4827"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4864,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827\/revisions\/4864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}