Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria is currently on the right path to growth and development.

Mr Shettima said this on Monday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, during the state’s 2026 Economic and Investment Summit.

He cited reports by international ratings agencies, including Fitch, S&P and Moody’s, as confirmation of what he described as the nation’s “direction of travel.”

Mr Shettima also endorsed the healthy cycle of competition among the 36 states of the federation.

According to him, it is necessary to actualise Nigeria’s quest for prosperity, economic growth, human dignity, and job opportunities.

“This is evident in the quality and ambition of the investment summits organised by the states across the country,” he said.

Mr Shettima emphasised that the nation’s strength lay in the proactive economic awakening of its subnational governments rather than in the federal government alone.

The vice president reiterated the need for states to transition from basic asset documentation to practical execution and job creation.

“The cycle of competition among our states is now evident in the quality and ambition of the investment summits convened across the federation.

“Every state possesses immense promise, but each must define a trajectory unique to its history, geography, people and comparative advantage.

“This is the race we must welcome: a race that proclaims growth rather than conflict, a race in which the prize is employment, prosperity and human dignity, a race for the future,” he said.

Mr Shettima recalled the promise made by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to place the nation on the path of growth.

He noted that it was the reason each meeting had become “another platform for turning that promise into enterprise.”

Mr Shettima applauded Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta for taking a bold step toward a greater Delta and for creating a platform that matched the ambition of the people.

The vice president stressed that the state had an advantage greater than its oil wealth.

He added that the state’s advantage lay in its conviction, reflected in the Economic and Investment Summit, that the future of its people could not be dependent on a single commodity.

“Diversification is an instinct of economic self-preservation and a measure of the quality of leadership.

“A government that prepares for life beyond oil understands that resources may finance progress, but only ideas, institutions and enterprise can sustain it.”

Mr Shettima expressed confidence in Mr Oborevwori’s ability to lead Delta into a new era of productive expansion.

He assured investors that the federal government stood ready to support credible investments, strengthen enabling institutions, and work with the state to remove obstacles to enterprise.

Earlier, Mr Oborevwori explained that the summit was the result of the bold step he had taken in 2025 when he led members of his cabinet to China and Brazil to harness investment opportunities for Delta.

He noted that the summit was designed to connect ideas with capital and maximise the comparative advantages inherent in the state’s socio-economic potential.

The governor thanked the vice president for honouring the summit with his presence, lauding his exemplary leadership and the vital role he was playing in advancing the nation’s collective good.

Also, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra expressed solidarity with his Delta State counterpart, saying that, from a macroeconomic standpoint, Nigeria had stabilised and was on the path to recovery.

Mr Soludo maintained that Nigeria would require foreign capital to thrive and called for stronger networking among stakeholders.

On her part, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, congratulated the Delta State Government on the developmental strides recorded under the leadership of the governor.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala observed that, in spite of current global disruptions, there were significant opportunities for Delta, Nigeria and the African continent to maximise.

The former minister of finance called for fiscal prudence, lower trade costs, improved policy execution and a stronger maintenance culture in Delta and Nigeria at large. 

(NAN)