Vice President Kashim Shettima says President Bola Tinubu has succeeded in putting an end to the regimes of volatility and unpredictability that once characterised Nigeria’s economy.
The Vice President stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, when he declared open the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025.
He noted that the ongoing reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration are already stabilising the economy, just as they have inspired investor confidence and attracted commendation from independent observers.
VP Shettima said, “Global economic uncertainties, shocks, shifting alliances, and the rapid displacement of traditional jobs by emerging technologies have compelled the administration to act fast.”
Citing Fitch’s upgrade of Nigeria’s sovereign rating to B with a stable outlook, and Moody’s lifting of the nation’s issuer rating to B3 with a stable outlook as instances of the global acclaim the country is getting, VP Shettima said, “the world is taking note of the steady course the nation is maintaining.”
“The phase before us now is to ensure that these macro-economic gains trickle down to the people, from the kiosks of our neighbourhood traders to the boardrooms of our multinational corporations.
“We did what we have done because we can no longer apply 20th century solutions to 21st-century problems,” he said, expressing delight with the conference and exhibition.
The VP said, “It is an “affirmation of innovation for a sustainable digital future that accelerates growth, inclusion, and global competitiveness.”
Alignment
The Vice President observed that the vision of the conference and exhibition with the theme, “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion, and Global Competitiveness,” aligns perfectly with President Tinubu’s economic reform agenda because the administration is “building a future where the young Nigerian takes the front seat, sits at the decision-making table, and has a voice in shaping our destiny.”
VP Shettima stated that the watchword for Nigeria’s long-term stability is digital, noting, however, that “the nation must set its priorities right if it must move beyond the “quick wins” of simple apps, to building deep-tech solutions that address foundational challenges in agriculture, health, logistics, and governance.”
“We need a digital ecosystem that works as seamlessly in Lagos as it does in Abuja, in Port Harcourt, in Kano, in Gusau, and across every corner of our nation.
“The digital success we seek is one where the farmer in Bida can access real-time market data to sell his harvest at a fair price; where a young woman in Oguta can work remotely for a global company because she has connectivity and the skills to compete. That is the inclusive growth President Tinubu envisions,” he stated.
The Vice President said that Nigeria cannot keep lamenting its “absence at the table in the previous Industrial Revolutions” when the current digital wave has offered the nation “a redemptive opportunity to define its own “terms in the next chapter of global progress.
Solid Pillars
He outlined three pillars on which the strategy adopted by the Tinubu administration rests to include “People, Infrastructure, and Policy.”
He said, “It is an “affirmation of innovation for a sustainable digital future that accelerates growth, inclusion, and global competitiveness.”
On the People, he said, “We are building a holistic pipeline of digital talent, integrating digital literacy into school curricula, promoting inclusion through the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative to digitise the informal sector, and developing world-class expertise through the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.”
“On Infrastructure, we are constructing the broadband “superhighway” that powers a digital economy. Through projects like Bridge and 774, we are ensuring high-speed connectivity so that a startup in Gusau enjoys the same access as the one in Lagos.
“On Policy, we are creating an enabling environment that encourages innovation. The success of our cashless reforms has positioned Nigeria as one of the most dynamic fintech ecosystems in the world,” the VP explained.
VP Shettima disclosed that the administration was already in the advanced stages of passing the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill into law.
He solicited the support of the private sector, including economic experts, stating that “the government cannot achieve its goal without them.
He described them “as the pillar of the nation’s digital economy, as well as “the innovators, the disruptors, the dreamers who turn possibilities into progress.”
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said, “enabling digital policies being implemented by the Tinubu administration are on course to boost the country’s digital infrastructure.”
He invited relevant stakeholders to use the platform to deepen collaboration so that Nigeria can stand as a global model for technology adaptation for shared prosperity.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullahi, applauded the Vice President for his support, commitment, and for always championing the cause of Nigerian youths.
He noted that “such inspirational leadership is deeply rooted in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acknowledged the increasing adoption of technology, particularly the use of multiple devices by the global population, highlighting the huge socio-economic potential of the global digital economy.
Olatunji emphasised the need for Nigeria to take its rightful place in the digital sector, noting that there is a need to harness the country’s digital potential through collaboration, interaction, and innovation.