Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday said Nigeria’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy is driven by enterprise, investment and coordinated reforms across all levels of government.
Speaking on Monday when he declared open the Invest Lagos 3.0 Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, the Vice President said President Bola Tinubu had borne the consequences of making “painful” economic decisions in the interest of the country.
“The President has taken the bullet for making painful decisions because we understand that the economy of our dream cannot be built on illusions, and leadership entails taking hard, harsh decisions.
“If you want to be a nice man, you can go and sell ice cream, but leadership requires you taking very harsh decisions,” he said.
Shettima said the country’s economic future depends on creating conditions that allow capital, innovation and productive enterprise to thrive.
He particularly identified Lagos State as the clearest demonstration of how subnational leadership can accelerate national economic transformation.
The VP praised President Tinubu for laying the foundation of the Lagos development model, describing it as a governance tradition that has created continuity and positioned the state as a continental economic force.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu planted the tree whose shade has sheltered a succession of leaders committed to futurist ideas, institutional continuity and disciplined governance,” he stated.
Addressing an audience of policymakers, global investors, entrepreneurs, development institutions and business leaders, VP Shettima said Lagos had continued to distinguish itself as Nigeria’s foremost economic gateway and one of Africa’s most influential centres for commerce and investment.
He described the state as more than a commercial capital, noting that the city remains a testing ground for ideas, governance and economic execution.
“Lagos is the livewire of our continent. Lagos is the furnace in which our ideas are tested against the discipline of execution. Lagos is the great doorway through which Nigeria continues to greet the future,” the Vice President said.
According to him, Lagos has repeatedly shown that economic progress is achievable when vision is matched with competent leadership, institutional continuity, and private sector confidence.
The Vice President credited the former nation’s capital’s growth trajectory to leadership that has sustained long-term planning and governance reforms since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.
VP Shettima also commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sustaining Lagos’ growth momentum and strengthening its attractiveness as a destination for investment and business expansion.
Referring to the summit’s theme, “Lagos: The Business Gateway to Africa,” the Vice President said the gathering reflects an emerging global reality where cities increasingly shape production systems, supply chains, innovation networks, and investment flows.
He noted that Lagos has continued to attract investors because of its access to markets, infrastructure, talent and financial opportunities.
The Vice President reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s economic agenda, stating that recent macroeconomic reforms were deliberately designed to restore market confidence, improve fiscal sustainability and unlock large-scale private investment.
He acknowledged that some of the decisions undertaken by government have been difficult, maintaining, however, that sustainable prosperity requires structural discipline and economic realism.
“We have taken difficult decisions because we understand that the economy of our dream cannot be built on illusions. It must be built on productivity, discipline, competitiveness, and the courage to create a climate in which enterprise can breathe,” he said.