Vice President Kashim Shettima has charged ministers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), and senior government officials to actively engage Nigerians and explain the benefits of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms, particularly the ongoing tax reforms.
Speaking at an interfaith breaking of fast for Ramadan and Lent at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday night, March 5, 2026, Shettima urged officials to counter misinformation and “sell the government” as the political season approaches.
“We are all political animals,” he said. “We have to sell our government. The same people who shout hoarse that the tax reform is meant to further pulverise and pauperise the poor are far from the truth. But we have to go out and tell the truth to the people. We have to educate them. We have to mount the pulpits and sell our government to the Nigerian people.”
Shettima illustrated the revenue potential of the reforms by comparing Nigeria’s tax performance with South Africa’s.
“South Africa, with a population of about 60 million — less than a quarter of Nigeria’s estimated 247 million — generates the equivalent of about ₦60 trillion annually from personal income tax alone,” he said.
“Nigeria, with more than three times that population, generates a paltry ₦3 trillion,” he added, noting the reforms aim to unlock similar potential for national development.
He emphasised that the Tinubu administration inherited a fragile economy nearly three years ago but had taken bold decisions that are yielding results.
Quoting Abigail Adams’ 1793 letter to her son John Quincy Adams, Shettima said great character is forged in difficult times.
“It is not in the calm of life, on the ripples of a Pacific Ocean, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed contending with difficulties,” he said.
Shettima recalled that foreign reserves were around $3 billion when Tinubu assumed office — barely enough to import fuel for a month — but reforms have since stabilised the economy.
“Three years on, the economy has bounced back. We have crossed the Rubicon and we are on a path to sustained growth,” he said.
He praised the President’s courage in removing fuel subsidy — a decision not originally in the 2023 inaugural speech but necessary to stop resource drain — and commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for its autonomy.
“Posterity will be kind to you,” Shettima told the CBN governor.
The Vice President thanked FEC members and officials for supporting tough reforms, saying they chose “country over comfort” and proved democracy works best when institutions compete to serve the people.
He warned that nations fracture not from hardship but from distrust and division.
“Nations do not fracture because of hardship; nations fracture when suspicion becomes a national language, when the politics of ‘us and them’ becomes more persuasive than the promise of ‘we,’” he said.
Shettima highlighted Nigeria’s diversity at the gathering and its projected population growth to the world’s third largest by 2050, underscoring the need for effective governance.
Reflecting on Ramadan and Lent, he said sharing simple meals symbolises humility and service in leadership.
“This table is a lesson in perspective. It strips power of arrogance and graces leadership with humility,” he said.
He noted President Tinubu shared the same meal as others, reminding leaders that true authority lies in faithful service.
“Shedding arrogance and embracing humility reminds us that governance, like fasting, must be anchored in sincerity, sacrifice and compassion for those whose lives are lived far from comfort,” Shettima added.
