Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria has crossed a critical threshold in its economic reforms and is now on a path of sustained growth, urging Nigerians in the diaspora to support the government’s transformation programme.
Shettima cited foreign reserves of more than $55bn, improvements in the foreign exchange market and 4.45 per cent economic growth in the last quarter as signs of progress under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Vice President spoke during an interactive session with Nigerians in the United States at Nigeria House in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. He said the government was repositioning the economy through reforms in education, healthcare, science and technology and agriculture.
Shettima urged Nigerians abroad to contribute their knowledge, expertise and intellectual capital to national development, describing the diaspora as an important resource for Nigeria’s economic transformation. He also encouraged them to invest in the country as the government seeks to attract more capital.
He said the administration’s economic measures had raised foreign reserves from $3.9bn to more than $55bn while improving the foreign exchange market. Shettima said the changes would help strengthen protection for diaspora remittances and investments.
On education, the Vice President said more than 1.29 million tertiary students had accessed N125bn through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund since its establishment. He also acknowledged the country’s security challenges, saying the government was deploying available resources to address emerging threats.
Shettima called for national unity, saying cohesion remained essential to development. He is in New York representing Tinubu at the UN General Assembly, where he is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement, with the country’s engagements focused on global institutional reforms, sustainable development, peace, security and international economic issues.
