VP Shettima Says Tinubu Has Ended Economic Instability, Urges Digital Focus

Vice President Kashim Shettima told delegates at the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025 in Abuja that the Tinubu administration has steadied the country’s economy and is responding to global change with bold action.

He said global forces such as “shocks, shifting alliances, and the rapid displacement of traditional jobs by emerging technologies” required the government to act decisively. Shettima added that recent policy moves are already helping to calm the economy and boost investor confidence.

He noted outside recognition of Nigeria’s progress, pointing to upgrades by international rating agencies, and said: “The world is taking note of the steady course the nation is maintaining.”

Shettima summed up the policy gains and the next steps in two clear points. “What this administration has achieved is to end the regimes of volatility and unpredictability that once defined our economy. The phase before us now is to ensure that these macroeconomic 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.”

Speaking about the conference itself, he described it as an “affirmation of innovation for a sustainable digital future that accelerates growth, inclusion and global competitiveness”. He added that the event’s theme, ‘Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion, and Global Competitiveness,’ matches the government’s reform agenda.

Shettima argued that digital development must move past surface‑level projects. He said the country “must move beyond the ‘quick wins’ of simple apps to building deep-tech solutions that address foundational challenges in agriculture, health, logistics and governance”.

He pictured a digital Nigeria that works evenly across regions, where farmers and remote workers can benefit from better data and connectivity. He called the current digital wave a chance to catch up and lead: “a redemptive opportunity to define its own terms in the next chapter of global progress”.

On leadership, Shettima praised President Tinubu as “a man of a thousand visions, the progressive leader we are fortunate to have as president of this beloved nation at a time that demands reformers and patriots, President Bola Tinubu,” and said the administration’s strategy rests on three pillars: “People, Infrastructure and Policy”.

On 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.”

He closed by urging continued focus on practical projects that expand access, create jobs, and link the country’s economic gains to everyday lives.