Nigeria At 65: A Long Road To Economic Freedom

(MENAFN- The Conversation) Nigeria turns 65 on 1 October 2025, having obtained independence from Britain on 1 October 1960.

After military coups and an annulled election of 12 June 1993 which led to military rule, the current democratic journey commenced on 29 May 1999.

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu government which assumed office on 29 May 2023 identified some key areas as its focus. These are economic growth, national security, food security, and sustainable development. Others are infrastructure growth, education, health and social investment, industrialisation and improved governance.

The economic reforms have been underpinned by removal of the fuel subsidy and unification of exchange rates. As a result, things have become tougher for citizens. One in two Nigerians now lives in multidimensional poverty. Nigeria's population in 2023 was 227.88 million, with 21.4% aged 0-14, 74.5% aged 15-64, and 4.1% aged 65 and older.

At The Conversation Africa, we have been working with academic experts to gain insights into Nigeria's challenges and how the country could find solutions. Here are four essential reads.

Feeding the nation

Food prices in the country have risen dramatically over the past three years. At 40.7%, food inflation in Nigeria reached its highest level in 2024 in the past 25 years. Overall inflation was 34.2% in 2024 , the highest in 28 years. This makes it harder for millions of Nigerians to get adequate nutrition.

Victoria Tanimonure highlights four urgent things the country should do to feed its citizens better.

Read more: 26 million Nigerians face acute hunger: 4 big ideas to tackle the food crisis in 2025

The fight against terrorism

Nigeria has been engaged in a battle with terrorists since 2010. While there have been some successes, it appeared the Tinubu government was not moving as fast as citizens expected. That changed in August 2025 when Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria's national security adviser, announced the arrest of two leaders of the terrorist group Ansaru: Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri.

Saheed Babajide Owonikoko argues that their arrest is an important strategic victory but the security forces need to brace for likely retaliation.

Read more: Ansaru terror leaders' arrest is a strategic change for Nigeria: what could happen next

Elections count

Nearly all Nigeria's presidential elections since 1999 have been contested in the courts. A lot is at stake even as the country's electoral chief bows out after nearly completing the maximum two terms allowed under the constitution.

Onyedikachi Madueke warns that if Nigeria's 2027 general election repeats 2023's failures, it might embolden other west African leaders to treat election commissions as political tools.

Read more: 2027 Nigerian poll could trigger unrest unless electoral commission is fixed

Caring for mothers

Of the 287,000 pregnant women who died in 2020, almost a third were from Nigeria. At 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, Nigeria has the third highest maternal mortality rate in Africa. To address this, the Nigerian government launched an initiative in 2024 offering free emergency caesarean sections to poor and vulnerable women.

Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas writes about what could affect the success of this scheme.

Read more: Nigeria offers free caesareans to save mothers' lives – but it's not enough

Erratic power supply

Nigeria's electricity sector remains fragile. About 85 million Nigerians (43% of the population) lack access to grid electricity. This is one of the biggest energy access gaps in the world. Generation capacity is roughly 12,000MW–13,500MW, but far less power is actually delivered. In 2023, Nigeria generated 4,500MW for a population of over 200 million .

Taiwo Hassan Odugbemi explains that while the African Development Bank Electricity Regulatory 2024 report shows that Nigeria's electricity reforms look solid on paper, the real-world results still lag. Nigerians still don't have consistent, affordable and reliable power.

Read more: Nigeria scores well on electricity reform rankings, but power supply isn't affordable and reliable. Here's why

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