Tinubu’s reforms rebuilding economic foundations for states, says Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu are rebuilding the foundations of Nigeria’s economy and positioning states for greater independence and growth.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026 in Lafia, Shettima said the administration’s restructuring agenda is aimed at strengthening subnational economies through fiscal reforms and increased capacity for investment.

“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,” he said.

He added that ongoing infrastructure and energy projects would support state-level industrialisation. “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,” he stated.

The vice president said the reforms align with global development patterns. “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 said.

He noted that the changes have expanded the capacity of states to drive development. According to him, “states now have greater room to think, to build, to invest, and to respond to the needs of their people with renewed confidence.”

Shettima described the evolving federal-state relationship as “a compact that rewards fiscal discipline, competitiveness, and the courage to reform,” adding that Nasarawa is aligning with the national economic direction.

“What Nasarawa State pursues here aligns with the national direction set by our courageous and reform-minded leader… 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.