President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for Nigerian youths to thrive, describing them as the country’s greatest assets and the future of the nation.

In his Independence Day address on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Tinubu urged young Nigerians to keep dreaming big, innovating, and breaking new grounds in science, technology, sports, and the creative industries.

“Our administration, through policies and funding, will continue to give you wings to fly sky-high,” the President said.

Highlighting the government’s interventions, Tinubu disclosed that the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided financial assistance to about 510,000 students across 36 states and the FCT, covering 228 higher institutions. As of September 10, N99.5 billion had been disbursed as loans, while N44.7 billion went into upkeep allowances.

He also noted that the Credit Corporation of Nigeria (Credicorp) had granted N30 billion in affordable loans to 153,000 Nigerians for vehicles, solar energy, home upgrades, digital devices, and other essentials.

On youth empowerment, the President pointed out that YouthCred, launched in June, had already enabled thousands of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to access consumer credit to support their resettlement.

Reiterating his Renewed Hope Agenda, Tinubu said the administration’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme was now at the threshold of implementation. The initiative, driven by the Bank of Industry in partnership with the African Development Bank, French Development Agency, and Islamic Development Bank, aims to boost opportunities in Nigeria’s growing technology and creative industries.

“Over the last two years, we have collaborated with our partners to launch the programme, supporting our young builders and dreamers in the technology and creative sectors,” Tinubu stated.