As Nigeria marks the second anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, has declared that the country’s economy, though still facing challenges, is firmly on the path to recovery.

Speaking after a courtesy visit to President Tinubu at his Lagos residence on Saturday night, Bagudu noted that bold structural reforms initiated by the administration have begun to yield results, particularly in strengthening investor confidence and unlocking fiscal space for development.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Bagudu admitted, “but we’ve turned the economy in the right direction.”

He highlighted the removal of long-standing subsidies on fuel, foreign exchange, and electricity as key to freeing up resources previously drained by unsustainable expenditures.

“Decades of underinvestment brought Nigeria to a point where even paying salaries became a struggle,” Bagudu explained. “Today, states and local governments have nearly tripled their revenues—this is a game changer.”

The Minister said the recovered resources are now being redirected into strategic sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, education, security, consumer credit, and digital innovation.

“These are tangible investments. We’re seeing real allocations—not promises—being channeled to areas that will drive growth and improve lives,” he said.

Bagudu added that the reforms have restored a measure of confidence among domestic and foreign investors. “One of the major gaps between developed and developing nations is the level of investment. We are now closing that gap by correcting years of neglect,” he stated.

He likened Tinubu’s early governance strategy to laying a foundation below ground: “It may seem like nothing is happening because you don’t yet see the walls, but solid groundwork is being laid. President Tinubu never sugarcoated the challenges; he acknowledged them and began tackling them head-on.”

Bagudu also pointed to a surge of opposition defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a signal of rising faith in the President’s leadership.

“When you see governors from other parties, like those in Delta and Akwa Ibom, crossing over and openly commending this administration, it speaks volumes. This isn’t about politics. It’s about a shared belief in the future Tinubu is building.”

Also speaking with journalists after paying a Sallah homage to President Tinubu in Lagos, a member of the newly inaugurated North West Development Commission (NWDC), Mallam Aminu Suleiman, echoed Bagudu’s optimism.

“Tinubu’s two years in office have been more impactful than the past government’s eight years,” Suleiman said, adding that the President’s development vision is already taking shape.

He praised the creation of the NWDC as a strategic inclusion of the North West in national development planning, noting that the region—with nearly 19 million people—deserved a focused intervention.

Suleiman expressed confidence that President Tinubu would replicate the transformation he achieved in Lagos across the country.

“He has proven himself before. Now he’s building a solid national foundation. Let’s trust the process and be patient. The results will come,” he said.