Show Nigerians your economic blueprint for a $1tn economy, IMPI challenges presidential candidates
One of Nigeria’s notable policy groups, the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), has challenged opposition parties to present an alternate plan for a $1 trillion economy within four years that is better than that of President Bola Tinubu.
This, according to the think tank, would be a better political campaign strategy than muck- raking and mudslinging in the run-up to the January 16 2027 presidential election.
In a policy brief signed by Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, IMPI argued that presidential candidates should be seen championing economic policies that could be put to integrity tests rather than engaging in populist rhetorics
IMPI said: “In this light, we challenge the larger political class, especially presidential candidates, to headline their manifestos with a commitment to growing Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion over the next four years.
“This is the only logical path forward for Nigeria. It ensures that any candidate who wins the 2027 presidential election will move the country past the era of managing scarcity and distributing handouts.
“Indeed, a $1 trillion economy creates a massive wave of national production that lifts all boats, converting Nigeria’s demographic bulge from a poverty liability into Africa’s greatest economic asset.
“We make this declaration in the knowledge and belief that the path to a $1 trillion economy is not built on wishful thinking. It is built on hard, cold, calculated sectoral milestones.
“To demonstrate true readiness for national leadership, alternative presidential candidates must anchor their economic agendas to a single, measurable, and uncompromised destination: propelling Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2031.
“Any manifesto headline that falls short of this trillion-dollar frontier is effectively a declaration of intent to manage poverty rather than eradicate it. Shifting the benchmark to a $1 trillion baseline is no longer just an ambitious target; it has become the standard operational prerequisite for modern Nigerian governance.”
The Think Tank noted that the government of President Bola Tinubu had set the ball rolling and added that the onus was on opposition candidates to show Nigerians their own economic blueprint.
“Having officially anchored the administration’s current medium-term target around a highly realistic $1 trillion economy by 2030, the federal administration has shown clarity, execution capacity, and the momentum to scale national wealth.
“Therefore, the burden of proof now shifts entirely to the opposition. Empty rhetoric, reactionary criticisms, and weaponising short-term transitional pains will no longer suffice as a political slogan.
“We hereby officially demand that opposition presidential candidates match this level of economic ambition.
“If the opposition wishes to be taken seriously by the electorate ahead of the 2027 elections, they must present a verifiable blueprint, stop speaking in generalities, and show Nigerians a granular, structurally sound, and mathematically grounded strategy detailing exactly how they intend to outpace President Tinubu’s trajectory and steer Nigeria toward a $1 trillion economy.
“If a presidential candidate claims a faster route to a $1 trillion valuation, he should outline the specific fiscal policies, trade mechanisms, and deregulation models he will deploy to attract the massive quantum of private global capital required to double current targets.
“The candidates should also explain which productive sectors they will reform and how, without dismantling the critical foundational anchors (such as unified foreign exchange windows and enhanced fiscal discipline) which have already triggered the current 2026 economic acceleration.
IMPI urged Nigerians to reject any presidential candidate who fails to show a clear pathway towards building a larger economy within four years of assuming office.
“Any alternative candidate who refuses to commit to a $1 trillion manifesto headline admits a lack of vision to lead a modern Nigeria, and an intention to govern through fiscal rationing and poverty distribution rather than systemic wealth generation.
“The public should demand a clear answer from every political party. If presidential candidates’ economic plans can not grow the economy to a one trillion-dollar size on the foundation already laid, why should they be trusted with the future of the republic?
“Nigeria cannot afford another election cycle dominated by tribal sentiments, personal grievances, or vague manifestos. If the opposition truly represents a better alternative for the Nigerian people, they must step up, show their calculations, and give us a granular roadmap to a $1 trillion economy.
“The national economic debate cannot be won by opposition to hardship alone; a superior vision for prosperity must win it.
“We are here today because Nigeria’s political conversation is fundamentally broken. Every day, we watch politicians across all parties trade personal insults, argue over tribal mathematics, and complain about current economic hardships. But complaining is not a policy. Grievance is not a governance strategy.
“Today, we are drawing a line in the sand. We are shifting the focus from the politics of sentiments to the politics of numbers,” it added.
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