ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu will deliver a national broadcast at 7:00 am on Thursday, June 12, as part of events commemorating the 2025 Democracy Day celebration. This year marks Nigeria’s 26th year of uninterrupted democratic governance since the end of military rule in 1999.
Following the early morning address, President Tinubu will attend a joint session of the National Assembly by noon, according to a statement issued by Abdulhakeem Adeoye on behalf of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Democracy Day.
Notably, there will be no ceremonial parade for the occasion. Instead, a public lecture themed “Consolidating on the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms” will be held at 4:00 pm at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
This year’s Democracy Day is Tinubu’s third since assuming office in May 2023. Although previously marked on May 29 to coincide with inauguration activities, the holiday was shifted to June 12 in 2018 to honour the late MKO Abiola and the annulled 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest poll.
As the country reflects on over two decades of civilian rule, critics have raised fresh concerns about Nigeria’s democratic trajectory. Among them is opposition figure and PDP chieftain Dele Momodu, who on Wednesday warned of a slide toward authoritarianism.
“On the eve of June 12, Nigeria is virtually back to civilian dictators who don’t care how you feel or what you think,” Momodu said during a live appearance on The Morning Brief television programme. “We’ve damaged this democracy, and I hope we’ve not damaged it beyond repair.”
