Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said evidence that Nigeria’s economic outlook has improved is undeniable, as the country marked its 66th Independence anniversary on Thursday.

Soludo’s remark came as the nation reflected on its journey since 1960 and as the federal government pushed its message that the economy has turned a corner. The governor’s wording closely mirrors a line in President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, in which the president said that three and a half years into his administration, the evidence of an improved economic outlook is undeniable.

Tinubu told Nigerians that the economy had grown by more than four per cent this year, with both oil and non-oil sectors contributing, and that inflation had fallen substantially from its peak. He also cited rebuilt foreign reserves, a more stable foreign exchange market and record non-oil export earnings of over $6 billion in 2025, and declared that the age of reforms was over and the age of prosperity had begun.

Soludo, a professor of economics and a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, carries weight on economic matters. He was sworn in for a second term as Anambra governor in March. Days before the anniversary, he had told worshippers at an interdenominational thanksgiving service in Awka that Nigeria had faced many challenges since independence but had not failed. He described nation-building as a collective responsibility and urged citizens to replace lamentation with personal responsibility. He also admitted that the agricultural boom of old had waned.

Official figures back part of the optimism. Real GDP grew by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, up from 3.89 per cent in the first quarter. The IMF has acknowledged improved macroeconomic stability, but it has also noted that poverty, food insecurity, infrastructure gaps and weak productivity remain serious problems. Tinubu himself admitted in his speech that many families still struggle to afford food, school fees and medical bills.

Soludo’s statement drew sharp reactions on social media, with some users pointing to flooding and erosion in Anambra, including the recent death of a pupil swept away by flood waters in Awka, as evidence that many citizens are yet to feel the improvement the government describes.