General
Full Transcript of President Buhari June 12 Speech
All Praise is due to GOD Almighty Who spared our lives to be present at this great occasion. We give thanks also that the democratic process has been further entrenched and strengthened.
2.Twenty years ago, a democratically elected government took over from the military in a historic transfer of political power for our country.
3.Today, we are privileged to mark the longest period of unbroken democratic leadership and 5th peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another in Nigeria.
4.Throughout the last four years, I respected the independence of INEC. I ensured that INEC got all the resources it needed for independent and impartial management of elections in the country.
5. All interested parties are agreed that the recent elections, which except for pockets of unrest, were free, fair and peaceful.
6.I thank all the people who worked for our party, who campaigned and who voted for us.I thank my fellow Nigerians, who, since 2003 have consistently voted for me.
7.Victory is your greatest reward; peace, unity and greater prosperity will be our collective legacy.Your Excellencies, Fellow Nigerians,
8.I and Nigerians collectively must give adequate thanks to our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcing agencies for working round the clock to protect us by putting themselves in harm’s way and defending our values and protecting our future.
9.Terrorism and insecurity are worldwide phenomena and even the best policed countries are experiencing increasing incidents of unrest and are finding things hard to cope.
10. The principal thrust of this new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavors and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria.
11. Fellow Nigerians, I have had the privilege of free education from Primary school to Staff College to War College.
12. I received my formative education in Katsina and Kaduna and my higher education in England, India and the United States.
13. I have worked and served in Kaduna, Lagos, Abeokuta, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Jos and finally here in Abuja. Throughout my adult life, I have been a public servant. I have no other career but public service. I know no service but public service.
14.I was involved at close quarters in the struggle to keep Nigeria one. I can therefore do no more than dedicate the rest of my life to work for the unity of Nigeria and upliftment of Nigerians.
15. In 2002-2003 campaigns and elections, I travelled by road to 34 of the 36 states of the Federation. This year I travelled by air to all 36 states of the Federation.
16. Before and during my time in the Armed Forces and in government, I have interacted with Nigerians of all ages and persuasions and different shades of opinion over a period of more than fifty years.
17. And my firm belief is that our people above all want to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians. They desire opportunity to better themselves in a safe environment.
18. Most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still as a result of sponsorship or incitements by ethnic, political or religious leaders hoping to benefit by exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country.
19. And our country Nigeria is a great country. According to United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India.
20. We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage.
21. What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds.
22. A huge responsibility therefore rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potential into a force to be reckoned with globally.
23. Thus far, we Nigerians can be proud of our history since Independence in 1960. We have contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world; we have stabilized Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and two years ago we prevented the Gambia from degenerating into anarchy.
24. Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at greater cost. This fact had been attested by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself.
25. Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission. We can therefore be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens.
26. At home, we have been successful in forging a nation from different ethnicities and language groups: our evolution and integration into one nation continues apace.
27. When, therefore we came to office in 2015 after a decade of struggle we identified three cardinal and existential challenges our country faced and made them our campaign focus, namely security, economy and fighting corruption.
28. None but the most partisan will dispute that in the last four years we have made solid progress in addressing these challenges.
29. When I took the oath of office on 29 May 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja.
30. Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve.
31. In face of these challenges, our Government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity.
32. This task is by no means unattainable. China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterized by huge burdens of population.
33. China and Indonesia succeeded under authoritarian regimes. India succeeded in a democratic setting. We can do it.
34. With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
35. Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves.
36.We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive growth in the economy and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 percent this year.
37. Furthermore, our external reserves have risen to $45 billion enough to finance over 9 months of current import commitments.
38.This Administration is laying the foundation and taking bold steps in transforming our country and liberating our people from the shackles of poverty.
39.First, we will take steps to integrate rural economies to the national economic “grid” by extending access to small-scale credits and inputs to rural farmers, credit to rural micro-businesses and opening up many critical feeder roads.
40.Secondly, for small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance of imported goods as I will outline later.
41.For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability.
42.We are not daunted by the enormity of the tasks ahead. Instead, we are revived by this new mandate to work collaboratively with State and Local Governments, Legislators, the Diplomatic Corps and all Nigerians to rebuild and reposition our country as the heartbeat and reference point for our continent.
43. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen:
a.Despite the enormous resources pledged to infrastructure development these past four years, there remains the urgent need to modernize our roads and bridges, electricity grid, ports and rail systems.
b.Whilst agriculture and industrial output have recovered since the recession, we are more committed than ever to work with the private sector to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth.
c.The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index which is the gauge of manufacturing activity in the country has also risen for 26 consecutive months since March 2017 indicating continuous growth and expansion in our manufacturing sector.
d.It still takes too long for goods to clear at our seaports and the roads leading to them are congested. It still takes too long for routine and regulatory approvals to be secured. These issues affect our productivity and we are committed to addressing them permanently.
e.Our Government will continue work to reduce social and economic inequality through targeted social investment programs, education, technology and improved information.
f.Our social intervention programs are a model for other nations. Together with state governments, we provide millions of school children with meals in primary schools, micro loans to traders and entrepreneurs, skills and knowledge acquisition support to graduates and of course, conditional cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
g. A database of poor and vulnerable households is being carefully built based on age, gender, disability, educational levels for proper planning in this Administration’s war against poverty.
h. A database of unemployed but qualified youth has also been developed under the National Social Investment Programme which can be used by the public and private sectors for recruitment purposes. Cumulatively, nearly 2 million beneficiaries have received aid under this Programme apart from Anchors Borrowers Programme and School Feeding initiative each reaching 2 million recipients. And we will do more. Much more.
44. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, we know that there exists a strong correlation between economic inequality and insecurity.
45. When economic inequality rises, insecurity rises. But when we actively reduce inequality through investments in social and hard infrastructure, insecurity reduces.
46. The disturbing increase in rates of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities can be attributed to the decades of neglect and corruption in social investment, infrastructure development, education and healthcare.
47. This issue is further compounded by the impact of our changing climate and ecology.
48. The ECOWAS and Sahel regions, starting from Chad all the way to Mali, are also experiencing adverse impacts of drought and desertification, which have triggered waves of human displacement; conflicts between farmers and herdsmen; terrorism; and a fundamental socio-economic change to our way of life.
49. These issues are regional and not unique to Nigeria alone. The problems call for increased regional and international cooperation in developing a sustainable solution.
50. As Chairman of ECOWAS, I will be hosting a regional security summit of heads of states in the Sahel to develop a Joint Strategy to continue our efforts in addressing these issues.
51. Fellow Nigerians, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, at the heart of inequality and insecurity, is pervasive corruption. When we took office we realised that if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back – and we have seen this at all levels.
52. For Nigeria to progress, a collective resolution to address corruption and foster broad-based prosperity is required to create a country that is not only for a few privileged, but for all Nigerians.
53. This charge is not only to Civil Servants, Ministers, Legislators and State Government functionaries, but also to Corporate leaders.
54. We shall make greater investments in our rural economies. We shall aggressively source locally our raw materials.
55. We have incentives for investments specifically made in rural communities.
56. However, nationwide development cannot occur from Abuja alone; it must occur at States. And Government cannot do it alone.
57. I therefore implore all State Governments, especially those with large rural economies, to aggressively solicit investments in your states. Invest in developing human capital, reducing bureaucracy and corruption, hosting and attending investment summits and improving the ease of doing business.
58. At this point, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists who have built or are building agro-processing projects; petrochemical plants; crude oil and solid mineral refineries; energy exploration; software development projects; telecom infrastructure; health, education and manufacturing projects; and the like, across our country.
59. I would like to make special mention to promoters of our small businesses that are proudly making goods and services for export and for local consumption. The Nigerian economy rises and falls on the strength of your investments and productivity.
60. We will continue to listen to your ideas and plans not just about how we can secure more investment, but how your plans can help create a more equitable economy.
61. I also thank the labour unions, farmer groups and associations, organized private sector and the civil society organisations for their support and cooperation with our government these last four years.
62. We will continue to count on your support, guidance and understanding during the next four years.
63. I especially thank our traditional leaders and congratulate re-elected and newly elected State Governors and members of the National Assembly. Our Government will continue to count on your support so that we can together move our country forward.
64. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, despite the challenges over the last four years, my optimism about Nigeria’s future is unshaken and Nigeria’s role in the world as an emerging economic force is without a doubt.
65. Over the next four years, we are committed to assembling a strong team of Nigerians, and allies, to implement our transformative plans and proposals.
a. We will see significant focus, resource and, where necessary reform, in tertiary and technical education to reposition Nigeria’s workforce for the modern technological age.
b. We will accelerate investments in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare programs, interventions and infrastructure as well as in upgrading of our medical personnel to stem the flight of our best trained people.
c. On food security, our farmers have made great strides in local production of rice, maize, cassava, poultry, fertilizer, fisheries and sesame. We remain resolute in supporting private sector in emphasizing backward integration and export expansion plans.
d. Felling of trees to provide energy for domestic use is taking its toll on our rain forests, our ecology and our climate. Accordingly, we are taking steps to harness cleaner and more sustainable sources of electricity. We export over 2 million tons of cooking gas, yet we consume less than half a million tons.
e. We will work to address this issue and support rural communities with challenges of safely switching from firewood to cooking gas.
f. Dedicated agro-industrial processing zones will be developed on a PPP basis to increase farming yields, agricultural productivity and industrial output.
g. Over 2,000 kilometers of ongoing Federal road and bridge projects across the country will be completed to reduce journey times and the cost of doing business. As I mentioned earlier, critical feeder roads will be built to facilitate easier transportation for people and goods from rural areas to major roads.
h. We are at advanced stages of securing investments to modernize and expand our transmission and distribution infrastructure, ensuring that electricity is available and affordable for all Nigerians.
i. Several rail, seaport and airport projects are at various stages of completion. We will open the arteries of transportation nationwide.
j. It is a fact that Nigeria has more gas reserves than it has oil. Over the last four years, we have become a net exporter of urea, which is made from natural gas. We invite investors to develop more natural gas-based petrochemical projects.
k. Fellow Nigerians, This Government will not tolerate actions by any individual or groups of individuals who seek to attack our way of life or those who seek to corruptly enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. We will crack down on those who incite ordinary innocent people to violence and unrest.
l. We will ensure that such actions are met with the strong arm of the law.
66. Nation building takes time. But we must take solace in the knowledge that this country, our country, has everything we require to make Nigeria prosper.
67. Fellow Nigerians, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to join me in this journey of rebuilding our nation.
68. Our focus will not be to help the privileged few but to ensure that Nigeria works for Nigerians of all persuasions. That is a more just arrangement.
69. As we all know, correcting injustice is a pre-requisite for peace and unity. As part of the process of healing and reconciliation, I approved the recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day and invested the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Babagana Kingibe with National Honours, as I did with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The purpose was to partially atone for the previous damage done in annulling the Presidential elections of that year.
70. Today, I propose the re-naming of the Abuja National Stadium. Henceforth it will be called MOSHOOD ABIOLA NATIONAL STADIUM.
71.In my first term, we put Nigeria back on its feet. We are working again despite a difficult environment in oil on which we depend too much for our exports. We encountered huge resistance from vested interests who do not want CHANGE, But CHANGE has come, we now must move to the NEXT LEVEL.
72.By the Grace of God, I intend to keep the oath I have made today and to serve as President for all Nigerians
73.I thank you for attending this august occasion from far and near, and for all your best wishes to me, to our party and to Nigeria.
74.God bless us all, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The sextet of Onlinebanker, Adetunji Films, More Branches TV, Wearegst, Iswellthecapitalist and The Republic have been selected for the Emerging News Voices Growth Lab organised by Google News Initiative (GNI).
The six Nigerian independent news creators are among roughly 20 emerging news creators from across the region taking part in the multi-month virtual programme, which runs through late September 2026.
Over the course of the programme, participants work directly with Google trainers and product experts across four areas:
AI in the newsroom: hands-on integration of Google’s AI tools, including Gemini, NotebookLM, Google Trends and SynthID, into daily workflows for research, transcription, translation and verification.
Video and audience growth: practical frameworks for building YouTube channels, using both Shorts and long-form video to reach new audiences.
Direct reader relationships: strengthening open web presence and newsletters to build first-party audiences the newsroom owns.
Sustainable revenue: sessions on monetisation strategy, product differentiation and audience growth models.
“Independent news creators and digital-native newsrooms are shaping how Africans, and Nigerians in particular, find and understand the news.
“The Growth Lab gives these creators what growing newsrooms need most: practical AI skills, a clear video and audience strategy, direct relationships with their readers and a path to sustainable revenue.
“When emerging voices build capability and financial independence, the whole news ecosystem becomes more resilient, diverse and sustainable,” the News Partnerships Lead for the Middle East and Africa at Google, Marianne Erasmus, stated.
Commenting on being part of the cohort, the Editor-in-Chief of The Republic, Mr Wale Lawal, said, “Google’s Emerging News Voices Growth Lab is giving us practical ways to combine audience insight, product thinking and the responsible use of AI as we build a more sustainable future for The Republic’s journalism.”
Also speaking, his counterpart at MoreBranches, Mr Nasir Achile Ahmed, said, “The program has been valuable to our newsroom, providing information that validates observations we’d made previously, as well as access to tools and the knowledge to use them effectively. Beyond that, engaging with experts and fellow journalists has created a supportive environment that is helping us strengthen our storytelling.”
Creator-led digital journalism is changing how Nigerians, especially younger audiences, find and consume news. Social-first channels and digital-native platforms increasingly drive news discovery, yet the newsrooms behind them often run lean, with limited access to the tools, training and revenue expertise available to established publishers. The GNI Growth Lab is built to close that gap.
The Growth Lab grew out of the Global News Gap Project, a continent-wide mapping of independent African news creators conducted with Project Oasis and Code for Africa, which identified where emerging newsrooms most need support.
The Growth Lab is the latest step in Google’s continued support for Nigerian media. Since 2018, Google has funded newsroom transformation projects through the GNI, helped publishers grow advertising revenue through the Ad Manager Academy, and shared ad revenue with Nigerian publishers through Google AdSense and Google Ad Manager.
Since 2024 alone, Google has trained more than 1,500 Nigerian journalists and editors in online safety, advanced Search, digital verification and audience analytics. Google also supports media skilling through its collaboration with the MTN Media Innovation Programme, where fellows receive hands-on sessions on AI as a productivity partner and on newsroom technology, from News Consumer Insights to Gemini.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has dissolved the board of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc over the company’s cumulative market obligations of N456.5billion and prolonged financial and operational challenges.
The regulator also appointed an interim board of special directors and directed the commencement of a transparent process for selecting a new core investor for the electricity distribution company.
The decisions were contained in Order No. NERC/2026/086, titled Order on the Regulatory Intervention in Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc Pursuant to the Electricity Act 2023, which took effect on Monday, August 10, 2026.
NERC said the intervention followed an inquiry and consultations with key industry stakeholders, including the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and was necessitated by KAEDC’s prolonged regulatory and market defaults, inadequate investment and weak operational and commercial performance.
The commission said KAEDC’s cumulative market obligation since privatisation stood at approximately N456.5 billion as of May 2026, comprising N415.5 billion owed to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc and N41 billion due to the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO)
The company also had other non-market statutory and third-party obligations amounting to N14.26billion, according to the regulator.
NERC said that since ASI Engineering Limited took over operations of KAEDC in June 2024, the company had accrued additional market debt of more than N118.6 billion as of May 2026.
The Commission described the company’s situation as grave, citing prolonged regulatory and market defaults, inadequate investment, weak operational and commercial performance, insufficient assets relative to liabilities and the absence of a credible pathway to sustainable recovery.
NERC said KAEDC paid only 41.93 per cent of its adjusted market invoices in 2025, resulting in a market shortfall of approximately N46.71bn during the year.
It linked the poor remittance performance to the company’s high aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses, which stood at 71.88 per cent in 2025.
The regulator explained that the losses meant KAEDC could account for only 28.2 per cent of the electricity received and delivered to end-use customers during the review period.
NERC also said ASI failed to meet its capital injection commitments towards recapitalising the utility.
According to the commission, KAEDC’s actual capital expenditure in 2025 was approximately N2.48 billion, against a minimum provision of N24.51 billion, representing only 10 per cent performance.
The regulator further noted that KAEDC’s meter coverage had remained between 33.26 per cent and 35.54 per cent since ASI took over the company, despite several interventions aimed at supporting meter deployment across distribution companies.
NERC said the company’s financial difficulties persisted despite approximately N6.58billion in regulatory derogations granted between January 2024 and May 2026 and aggregate Federal Government intervention disbursements of approximately N53.79 billion since July 2018.
It warned that the continued underperformance posed a material risk to electricity consumers, creditors, market stability and the continuity of electricity services.
NERC said it had previously notified KAEDC’s major shareholders and Afreximbank of the imminent intervention and required them to present a credible plan to address the company’s financial situation.
Representatives of ASI, NERC, BPE, Afreximbank and Fidelity Bank subsequently met on June 11, 2026, to discuss proposals for rescuing the company.
According to the commission, the parties agreed that ASI had not complied with conditions prescribed for its acquisition of a 60 per cent majority shareholding in KAEDC and had also failed to comply with BPE requirements for finalising the shareholding arrangements.
NERC said ASI subsequently requested an extension of up to 24 months to stabilise KAEDC’s cash flow, prioritise critical investments and deliver measurable performance improvements, including a pathway to full market remittance.
The regulator, however, rejected the request, saying ASI had been in effective control of KAEDC since June 2024 without a corresponding improvement in its financial and operational performance.
NERC subsequently resolved to exercise its powers under Sections 75 to 79 of the Electricity Act 2023 to dissolve the KAEDC board, preserve the company as a going concern and facilitate a transparent transition to a credible core investor within 12 months.
Consequently, the commission ordered the dissolution of KAEDC’s board and removal of all its directors from office.
“KAEDC’s board of directors is HEREBY DISSOLVED. All directors of KAEDC are removed from office, and the existing board stands dissolved pursuant to section 75 of the EA,” the order stated.
NERC appointed seven special directors to constitute the interim board for the transition period, with Dr Abdullahi Garba as chairman. Other members are Engineer Francis Agoha, Mr Aliyy Aliyu, retired Major General Henry Ayamasaowei, Dr Haliru Dikko, Mr Ayodeji Gbeleyi, representing the BPE, and Dr Abubakar Umar Hashidu.
The commission also appointed the incumbent Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Abubakar Umar Hashidu, as administrator for an initial six-month term, subject to review.
NERC said the administrator would oversee the company’s day-to-day operations, ensure continuity of electricity services, implement interim board resolutions, comply with regulatory directives and safeguard the company’s assets and records.
The commission also withdrew the Know-Your-Licensee approvals issued to members of KAEDC’s management team and directed affected management staff to present themselves for revalidation.
Meanwhile, NERC directed Afreximbank to coordinate an open, competitive and transparent process for securing a replacement core investor for KAEDC.
The preferred investor is to be presented to NERC for approval, with the process expected to be completed within 12 months from the commencement of the order, unless the commission grants a written extension.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has unveiled the Tinubu Light Initiative, a presidency-backed renewable energy programme designed to provide affordable clean electricity to one million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across Nigeria.
The initiative, unveiled by the National Board for Technology Incubation during the National Showcase of the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026 in Abuja, is also expected to create more than 50,000 direct jobs while supporting local manufacturing and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy.
The programme is targeted at reducing the high cost of energy that continues to constrain businesses, particularly MSMEs that rely heavily on petrol and diesel generators amid persistent gaps in grid electricity supply.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NBTI, Mr Kazeem Raji, said the initiative was developed in response to the growing energy burden faced by Nigerian businesses.
Mr Raji said the Tinubu Light Initiative would deploy innovative financing models, strategic partnerships and renewable energy technologies to provide cleaner and more affordable electricity to MSMEs nationwide.
“The Tinubu Light Initiative seeks to change this narrative. Through innovative financing models, strategic partnerships, renewable energy technologies and nationwide implementation, this initiative will provide affordable clean energy solutions to one million Nigerian MSMEs,” he said.
According to him, lowering the energy costs of one million businesses would enable them to redirect resources towards expansion, investment and job creation, while strengthening the competitiveness of locally produced goods.
Mr Raji said the initiative would also go beyond electricity access by supporting the local assembly and production of renewable energy equipment, reducing carbon emissions and expanding access to digital financing, with particular opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs.
“This initiative goes beyond electrification. It is an industrial policy. It is an employment strategy. It is a poverty reduction programme. It is a climate action initiative. It is a national productivity agenda,” he said.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of rising energy costs for Nigerian businesses, with many MSMEs increasingly dependent on self-generation to sustain operations. The cost of petrol and diesel used to power generators has become a significant component of operating expenses, limiting production capacity and putting pressure on jobs.
Mr Raji said the Tinubu Light Initiative was aligned with the Federal Government’s broader economic strategy of leveraging technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to boost domestic production and create sustainable employment.
At the event, he also highlighted the NextGen Innovation Challenge, which attracted thousands of applications from innovators across sectors including renewable energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, healthcare, manufacturing, education, fintech, climate technology and industrial engineering.
He said the challenge was increasingly becoming a platform for connecting Nigerian innovators with investors and supporting the transition of promising technologies from research and development to commercial applications.
Mr Raji disclosed that an innovator who participated in the inaugural 2025 edition secured a £1.5 million investment commitment, while agricultural technologies developed through the programme are being deployed in Kaduna, Bauchi and other states to improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.
He said the NBTI would continue to leverage its network of Technology Incubation Centres to identify innovators, provide mentorship, facilitate technology transfer and support the commercialisation of indigenous technologies.
Mr Raji further announced that the NextGen Innovation Challenge had secured the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat, which would enable the programme to expand beyond Nigeria into a Commonwealth-wide initiative involving all 56 member countries.
