- Crime Has No Ethnicity, Nigeria Must Remain United Against Terrorism – Tinubu
- Announces National Honours
- Renames Kaduna Institute After Shehu Musa Yar’Adua
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians to remain committed to protecting and strengthening the country’s democracy, describing it as a system that, despite its imperfections, belongs to the people.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in his 2026 Democracy Day address, the President noted that since the return to democratic rule on May 29, 1999, Nigerians have consistently chosen their leaders through elections, witnessed peaceful transfers of power and resolved political disputes through legal and legislative processes rather than violence.
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“Our democracy is not perfect, but it is ours, and we must continue to defend and strengthen it,” Tinubu said.
The President also appealed to young Nigerians to believe in the country and contribute to its development instead of seeking opportunities elsewhere.
“Nigeria is your home and your future. Build here, code here, work here and vote here. Every great nation was built by those who stayed to solve problems, not by those who abandoned ship,” he stated.
Tinubu used the occasion to honour individuals who played significant roles in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, including activists, journalists, labour leaders, students, politicians and members of the armed forces who endured persecution, imprisonment, exile and even death in the quest for democratic governance.
He announced that national honours would be conferred on several democracy advocates and revealed that a comprehensive list of recipients would be released in the coming days.
The President also announced the renaming of the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology, in honour of the late military officer and democracy advocate.
While celebrating Nigeria’s democratic journey, Tinubu acknowledged that this year’s Democracy Day was overshadowed by the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo and Borno states.
“We remain hopeful for their safe return,” he said.
Addressing the security situation in the country, the President stressed that democracy cannot thrive without security and highlighted measures taken by his administration to tackle insecurity.
According to him, the government has approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel, while the 2026 budget allocates a record N5.41 trillion to defence and security.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s security strategy has evolved from basic training partnerships with allies such as the United States, France and other European countries to more targeted operations against criminal groups.
He claimed that terror-related deaths have dropped by 81 per cent since 2015 and disclosed that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the past year.
The President also noted that over 124,000 insurgents and their family members have surrendered through the government’s deradicalisation programme, Operation Safe Corridor, since 2023.
However, he warned bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terrorism that the government would not hesitate to act decisively against those who refuse to abandon violence.
“To bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terror: surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” he declared.
Tinubu further urged Nigerians not to politicise insecurity or attach criminality to ethnic or regional identities.
“Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he said.
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