President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday used his Independence Day broadcast to celebrate Nigeria’s progress under his leadership, defending his controversial reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, as tough but necessary choices that have begun to yield results. He said Nigeria recorded a trade surplus for five consecutive quarters, with non-oil exports rising to 48 per cent of trade. AdvertisementOn social welfare, the president said N330 billion had been disbursed to eight million households. Security and hopeOn security, Tinubu praised the military for “winning the war against terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes,” noting that peace had returned to many communities in the North-East and North-West. While admitting that many Nigerians are still enduring hardship, Tinubu insisted reforms are working.