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…Takes Nigeria’s Economic Agenda To UN Stage In Sept
ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, affirmed that his reforms have steadily stabilised the economy over three years, with growing plaudits for positive development and growth indicators.
President Tinubu acknowledged commendations from Deloitte Africa over ongoing financial and fiscal reforms in the country.
Tinubu said he was encouraged to pursue a stronger partnership that supports investments, youth training, and employment. He made the comment, while playing host to a delegation from Deloitte Africa, led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ruwayda Redfearn, at the State House, Abuja.
“We are following the example of Deloitte’s greatness to change things from the foundation, building the necessary future for our people.
“Yes, reforms are difficult. It has not been a McDonald’s customer relationship but a harvester of good things, if implemented well, and that is what we are about.
“Thank you for your partnership in paying attention to what we are doing here, as we have heard from the Honourable Minister of Finance about the fiscal, revenue and tax reforms that have taken place and are moving the nation forward.
“The reforms on revenue will continue to stimulate growth. And the effect of the reform? Yes, some issues are difficult to take the bitter medicine, but it is working well.
For the economy, Nigeria is making serious foundational progress,’’ the president said at the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji.
President Tinubu said the reforms had stimulated the economy, strengthened the fiscal and revenue sectors, repositioned financial institutions, and prepared the country to be more globally relevant and competitive.
The president urged Deloitte Africa to improve its impact on the Nigerian economy by training and recruiting the dynamic youth population.
“The family of Deloitte; you just reminded me of my cradle years in accountancy and where I cut my childhood accounting teeth in Chicago. Deloitte has a good training programme, and I believe you will continue to reflect that,’’ he stated.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who spoke on the reforms and impact, urged the leadership of the accounting and business firm to focus on building capacity among the youth.
The CEO of Deloitte Africa, Ruwayda Redfearn, said the global organisation is primarily focused on digital and business transformation, with over 500,000 employees worldwide working across various roles and locations, including over 6,000 in Africa. She said the accountancy firm’s revenue was $74 billion in 2025.
“We are before you to say that we want to serve. We have a local team on the ground that is ready, as well as the global firm, to support you and support your administration as you lead the country,’’ she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Africa, Yomi Olugbenro, assured the president of the firm’s support for the reforms.
“We do what we do because of the philosophy that our Africa CEOs talk about – making an impact that matters. Where we are at the moment, we believe that the ground has been solidly laid.
There is a need to truly extract more value and deliver the dividends of democracy to ordinary Nigerians on the street. The bigger work is really about how to cascade some of those big reforms further down.
“We do believe that with the capabilities that the firm has all over the world, with the half a million people that our CEO spoke about, we have used cases, examples, experiences of how we supported nations all around the world, so Nigeria will definitely benefit from those experiences. “So that is why we are here, and we welcome the invitation that you may grant us as to where exactly you want us to support you,’’ he added.
Tinubu Takes Nigeria’s Economic Agenda To UN Stage In Sept
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu will feature prominently at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this September to present Nigeria’s reform agenda before world leaders.
He would also advance fresh regional security initiatives aimed at strengthening border policing across West Africa, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, confirmed on Wednesday, shortly after briefing the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on preparations for the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ibrahim told reporters that President Tinubu had accepted the invitation to attend the annual global gathering and would use the opportunity to highlight the successes of his administration’s economic and governance reforms. “I came in from New York to speak with the president in preparation for the United Nations General Assembly,” Ibrahim said.
“The president has generously agreed to attend the UN meeting. It is significant because Mr. President has a speech to deliver to the whole world on the reform successes recorded in Nigeria. That has already been scheduled for September.”
According to the envoy, the president is also expected to participate in a number of high-level side events focusing on energy, education and healthcare, although efforts are being made to streamline his engagements.
“There are side-event meetings for Mr. President to attend, including one on power and energy. There is another on education as well as hospital management.
We discussed these and, graciously, the president gave us his word that he will come to UNGA this September,” he said.
Beyond Nigeria’s participation at the General Assembly, Ibrahim said discussions with the president also focused on strengthening regional security through enhanced border policing across West Africa in collaboration with the United Nations.
He said Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the security threats posed by porous borders and had issued specific directives to advance regional cooperation. “The president also demonstrated his commitment to border policing.
This time around, he will be working with the United Nations to address the challenge of porous borders in West Africa,” Ibrahim stated.
“A lot of peacekeeping efforts will be channelled in that direction. From our discussions, I can assure you that the president is going to devote significant attention to border policing across West Africa.”
While declining to disclose details of the initiative, Ibrahim hinted that new measures would soon be unveiled to bolster security across the sub-region.
“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but I can tell you that positive developments are coming for Nigeria and the West African sub-region in the area of border policing.
“He gave specific directives on what should be done immediately, and I will be returning to the United Nations to brief officials on Nigeria’s position and the need to adopt West Africa as a case study in border policing to guarantee our collective security.”
He stressed that the United Nations considers border security a critical element of regional peace and stability.
“As far as we are concerned, West Africa border policing is very important. Our president is deeply committed, and I can assure you that the United Nations will support these efforts,” he added.
On speculation that President Tinubu could hold his first face-toface meeting with United States President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Ibrahim declined to comment directly but revealed that the Nigerian leader would occupy a prominent position during the opening session.
“I won’t be able to tell you whether there will be a meeting, but I can tell you clearly that President Tinubu will be sitting very close to President Donald Trump in the front row of the United Nations General Assembly,” he said.
“Don’t ask me how that was arranged, but Mr. President of Nigeria will be seated in the front row and will deliver his address at about 10:45a.m New York time, which will be around 2:00p.m in Nigeria, ensuring Nigerians can follow his speech live.”
Ibrahim also disclosed that he would present the United Nations’ proposed 2027 budget in his capacity as Chairman of the UN Budget Committee.
Tinubu has attended the UN General Assembly once since assuming office. He made his debut at the 78th Session in September 2023, where he addressed world leaders on governance reforms, climate change, investment and regional security.
The president did not attend the 79th Session in 2024, opting instead to significantly reduce Nigeria’s delegation as part of his administration’s cost-saving measures.
He directed that only government officials with direct responsibilities for scheduled meetings should travel to New York.
