Mr Tinubu said his administration inherited severe financial challenges, including unpaid obligations to airlines and dwindling reserves, which required difficult decisions to stabilise the economy.
President Bola Tinubu has called on young Nigerians to support his administration, describing the 2027 general election as a contest over their future.
The gathering, tagged “Together Till 2027: An Evening with the Original City Boy,” brought together youth supporters and political mobilisation groups backing his re-election bid.
Mr Tinubu said his administration inherited severe financial challenges, including unpaid obligations to airlines and dwindling reserves, which required difficult decisions to stabilise the economy.
“I came, and I removed the subsidy on my first day,” he said, adding that the country had been heading towards bankruptcy because it could no longer sustain the cost of the subsidy.
He rejected calls to reverse the policy, insisting that Nigeria could not return to the old arrangement.
The president acknowledged that the reforms had made life harder for Nigerians but praised his supporters for defending his administration despite the economic hardship.
He said young supporters had stood by his government in markets, on university campuses, in motor parks, and on social media, even when its policies were unpopular.
“I saw it, I noticed it, and I will never forget it,” he said, thanking the movement for its support over the past three years.
Mr Tinubu also argued that Nigeria could not borrow its way to prosperity, urging young people to remain patient with his administration’s economic policies.
The president cited the student loan programme as one of his administration’s interventions to expand opportunities for young Nigerians.
He said more than one million students had received support through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), particularly those whose parents could not afford their tuition fees.
He also highlighted the creation of the Credit Corps, saying the initiative was designed to help young workers acquire items such as laptops, cars, motorcycles and solar power systems without having to rely solely on personal savings.
Mr Tinubu said his administration was working to address longstanding challenges in the education sector, including disruptions caused by strikes by university lecturers.
He recalled his promise to ensure that students could complete four-year university programmes within four years, adding that his government had addressed outstanding obligations in the sector.
The president urged young Nigerians to take an active role in shaping the country’s future, saying their generation would eventually bear responsibility for Nigeria’s progress.
“The future of this country does not belong to me. It does not belong to my generation. It belongs to you,” he said.
Mr Tinubu commended the City Boy Movement for building a nationwide political network, saying its organisers had moved beyond gathering supporters to establishing structures across states, local government areas and polling units.
He described the group’s members as valuable partners in communicating his administration’s policies and mobilising grassroots support.
The president also encouraged the organisers to establish a call centre that would engage young Nigerians daily, listen to their concerns, and provide a channel to communicate with them.
He thanked supporters in Nigeria and the diaspora, mentioning cities including Lagos, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt and Sokoto, as well as London, Houston and Toronto.
According to him, the movement’s members may use different names, colours and slogans, but share a common objective of building a better Nigeria.
Mr Tinubu also praised the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth wing, saying its members had helped expand the party’s membership and spread its message through door-to-door campaigns.
He assured the young supporters that they would not be excluded from his administration’s plans or the country’s future.
“You are not campaigning for me. You are campaigning for your own future, and that future is renewed hope,” he told the gathering.
The president also acknowledged his son, Seyi Tinubu, patron of the City Boy Movement, for organising young people around the administration’s political agenda.
He said people had called asking what Seyi was seeking through his involvement in the movement.
“He is running after his father,” Mr Tinubu said.
He praised his son for engaging young Nigerians, listening to their concerns and organising them without seeking a political title or public office.
The president said he was proud of his son’s humility and contribution to the movement.
