Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the country is gradually recovering from deep economic difficulties inherited from previous administrations, stressing that ongoing reforms are beginning to yield results.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News Digital, Oluremi said the current government has embarked on tough but necessary economic measures to stabilise Nigeria’s economy, noting that the removal of fuel subsidy marked a major turning point.
According to her, Nigeria had for years depended heavily on imported petroleum products despite being an oil-producing nation. She said the shift toward local refining has reduced fuel imports and contributed to greater stability in the foreign exchange market.
“This is the first time the government of Nigeria removed fuel subsidy,” she said. “We were not producing oil, we were not refining. Now Nigeria has refined products, and we are not importing fuel like before. So our exchange rates are stabilising. The country is moving forward.”
The First Lady also accused some critics of deliberately portraying Nigeria negatively to the international community as the country moves closer to another election cycle. She argued that certain allegations against the government were politically motivated.
Oluremi dismissed claims by some United States lawmakers alleging a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing such assertions as part of efforts to exploit the re-election period for political gain.
“We live in Nigeria, we know that this is a democracy, and we are getting close to re-election,” she said. “There will be a lot of potholes of beliefs they want the outside world to know.”
On security, the First Lady disclosed that President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on insecurity in November 2025, a move that led to a major expansion of security personnel nationwide.
She revealed that the government recruited 50,000 additional police officers, 24,000 soldiers, and armed 10,000 forest guards to tackle security threats across the country.
In addition, Oluremi said 11,566 police officers previously assigned to VIP protection duties were recalled and redeployed to security flashpoints, including Plateau, Benue, and Taraba states.
She added that the administration is actively seeking partnerships with countries willing to support Nigeria’s development, while acknowledging that years of missed investment opportunities had compounded the nation’s challenges.
“When Nigeria was in the boom age, we didn’t really invest well,” she said. “So this is what we’ve inherited now. We have to see what to do.”
