Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to remain calm amid ongoing national difficulties, assuring that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to addressing the country’s challenges and steering it toward economic recovery.
Shettima made the appeal on Wednesday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, during the opening of the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026, scheduled to hold from May 6 to May 7.
Speaking at the event, the Vice President recalled the economic situation inherited by the current administration in 2023, describing it as a period when Nigeria was weighed down by heavy debt servicing obligations.
He noted that the reforms introduced by the Tinubu-led government had begun yielding positive outcomes across different sectors, adding that many state governments were now able to undertake infrastructure projects without resorting to borrowing.
He said, “When this administration came into office in 2023, Nigeria was at the edge of a fiscal trap. But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man of honour. Instead of blaming the previous administration, he took the bold decision to work for the nation.
“As I said, Nigeria was at the edge of a fiscal trap. Debt service had consumed about 96% of revenue. The old order had rewarded arbitrage modern production.
Oil subsidies and exchange rate distortion had become feeding bottles for privileged intermediaries, while the public treasury was top of the revenue required to build roads, fund schools, support states, and protect the vulnerable.”
According to Shettima, the administration is laying the groundwork for an economy that promotes productivity, safeguards enterprise, and empowers states to function as drivers of growth.
He therefore urged Nigerians, regardless of political, ethnic, or religious differences, to support the government’s reform agenda.
Turning to the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026 themed “Bold Transitions, Building a Legacy for a Sustainable Future,” the Vice President commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for his sustained focus on attracting investments into the state, noting that Nasarawa had become a key destination for investors over the past seven years.
He said, “Over the past seven years, Nasarawa has pursued development with a calm conviction of a state that knows where it is going. A government such as this is a meeting point of ideas and capital.
“Governor Abdullahi Sule is a good man. I am absolutely certain that the people of Nasarawa State will miss him. I have no doubt that Nasarawa is an answer to every investment dilemma.
It has land, it has minerals, it has proximity, it has agriculture, it has energy prospects, and most importantly, it has a government that understands the consequences of energy.”
He further stressed that the most valuable legacy any leader can leave behind is a system that ensures continuity of progress beyond their tenure, urging Governor Sule to ensure his successor in 2027 sustains the developmental strides recorded in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, in his remarks, described the 2026 summit as the final investment gathering under his administration, saying it represents a crucial point in shaping the state’s economic future.
He explained that the forum was designed as a platform to deepen existing gains and chart a sustainable path for long-term economic transformation.
Sule recalled that the 2022 edition, themed ‘Diamond in the Rough,’ focused on showcasing Nasarawa’s natural resources and its strategic proximity to Abuja, while the 2024 edition, ‘Industrial Renaissance,’ expanded attention to agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and infrastructure development.p
According to him, the current edition aims to institutionalise reforms to ensure that progress is sustained beyond individual leadership transitions.
“A key concern is that political transitions can create uncertainty for investors, particularly when reforms are tied to specific leaders rather than embedded in institutional frameworks.
“Maintaining investor confidence requires clear signals that policy, regulatory systems and contractual commitments will remain stable and predictable,” Sule said.
Kashim Shettima says Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to tackling Nigeria’s challenges and driving economic recovery through reforms.
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A major highlight of the summit was the unveiling of the “Lafia Declaration,” a voluntary agreement involving political parties, the legislature, judiciary, development partners, and investors, all committing to sustain Nasarawa’s economic reforms beyond 2027.
Sule explained that the declaration was intended to reassure investors that their investments would remain secure regardless of political transitions, adding that stakeholders across party lines, traditional institutions, youth, women, and persons with disabilities were all engaged in the process.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwale, also commended Nasarawa State for serving as a model of how consistent reforms can translate into real investment growth, urging the government to sustain its reform-driven approach.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the agency’s Business Enabling Reform Action Plan had delivered over 50 improvements to the business environment, including tax harmonisation, digitalised regulatory processes, a Public-Private Partnership framework, and a new State Electricity Commission.
He noted that these reforms had boosted the state’s Internally Generated Revenue from ₦7 billion in 2019 to ₦37 billion in 2025, while also positioning Nasarawa among Nigeria’s top 10 most competitive states for business.
He added that the summit’s Deal Room is currently presenting eight investment-ready projects, including the Gudi Agro-Industrial Hub, a Technology Hub at the Technology Village, small hydropower projects at Farin Ruwa and Doma Dam, gold and lithium processing facilities, a ₦100 billion Infrastructure Fund, an Embedded Power Network, and the Akwanga-Panda-Yanyanya Toll Road.
The two-day summit, themed “Bold Transitions, Building a Legacy for a Sustainable Future,” marks the third edition since its inception in 2022.
According to the Nasarawa Investment Development Agency (NASIDA), the state has attracted over $2 billion in investments and created more than 50,000 jobs within the last seven years.