Shettima: Tinubu Government Rebuilding Economic Pillars States Can Depend On

• Justifies FG’s reform agenda prioritising stronger, more viable subnational economies

•Says Nasarawa investment summit/Lafia declaration a binding public covenant

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that the ongoing comprehensive economic restructuring programme of the President Bola Tinubu administration is rebuilding the pillars of the Nigerian economy, which every state of the federation can depend on.

Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Lafia during the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026.

He identified the intended outcome of the government’s restructuring programme as energy reliability, fiscal balance, tax reform, and a single digital gateway for investment, among others.

The vice president said the reform aimed at reducing subnational dependence on the federal government, largely through fiscal reforms and increased allocations to states.

He stated that the ongoing transformation of subnational economies into stronger and more viable entities justified the choice of states as the focal point of the reform agenda of the Tinubu administration.

According to him, “At the national level, we are rebuilding the pillars every state depends on: energy reliability, fiscal balance, tax reform, and a single digital gateway for investment. The ongoing power-sector reforms are opening new paths for state participation.

“Federal projects connected to the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline and the Abuja industrial corridor will complement Nasarawa’s Gas Master Plan and position this region as a critical energy hub.”

The vice president said the administration’s decision was further supported by the fact that “all over the world, nations that move fastest are powered by strong federating units and Nigeria is embracing that truth as our subnationals are becoming centres of enterprise, policy innovation, and industrial energy”.

He explained that through the reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration, states “now have greater room to think, to build, to invest, and to respond to the needs of their people with renewed confidence”.

Shettima said the new compact being built between Abuja and the 36 states of the federation was such “that rewards fiscal discipline, competitiveness, and the courage to reform”, adding that Nasarawa State has earned its place at the forefront of that movement.

Shettima stated, “What Nasarawa State pursues here aligns with the national direction set by our courageous and reform-minded leader, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

“Across the federation, we are laying the foundations for an economy that rewards production, protects enterprise, and gives our states the room to become engines of growth.”

He said the theme of the summit could not be more timely, stressing that bold transitions are a reminder that “development must be transferred from one generation of leadership to the next without rupture,” even as “policy continuity is the soul of investment”.

On the “Lafia Declaration” signed at the summit, Shettima tagged the pact “an economic covenant, a public assurance that Nasarawa’s progress will outlive elections and endure beyond personalities”.

Explaining the gains of the economic reform, the vice president said confidence was returning to the marketplace, as, “Capital inflows rose from 12.32 billion dollars in 2024 to 23.22 billion dollars in 2025, while the equity market returned 51.19 percent in 2025, with market capitalisation reaching 99.38 trillion naira.

“Investors are beginning to read Nigeria again as a country willing to correct itself, a country prepared to take difficult decisions in defence of its future. Capital follows credibility, stability, and direction.”

He commended the efforts of the Nasarawa State government in aligning its programmes and policies with key features of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which was reflected in the establishment of, “Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA) and the One Stop Investment Centre to the creation of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Nasarawa Infrastructure Fund, among many others.”

Earlier, the governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi A. Sule, explained that the summit was aimed at reinforcing investor confidence by emphasising the continuity of policy, stability of institutions, and predictability of governance.

Sule added that the summit signalled clearly that the progress achieved in strengthening the state’s governance architecture was not tied to personality but anchored on durable institutions and policy framework that will continue to guide development irrespective of policy transition.

“The summit, therefore, represents a critical moment for aligning political leadership, institutional actors, investors and citizens around a shared vision of the prosperous and resilient Nasarawa state,” Sule explained.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, stated that reforms were not static, because the world was evolving and changing daily.

Bagudu pointed out the paradigm on which the Renewed Hope Agenda was framed, applauding the wisdom of Tinubu and Shettima in managing the economic disruption.

“And I think it is the benefits of that disruption that is enabling states like Nasarawa to achieved what they have achieved,” the minister said.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said over the last two years, the Tinubu administration had undertaken bold economic reforms aimed at stabilising the economy.

Oduwole reaffirmed the commitment of the federal government to partner with state governments to mobilise investment, expand local supply, and connect supply to global demands.

Managing Director of Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the agency had attracted over $2 billion investment to the state. Abdullahi said the summit was organised to ensure investment inflow to the state.