President Bola Tinubu has defended his administration’s economic and security reforms while announcing national honours for dozens of pro-democracy activists and key figures in Nigeria’s June 12 struggle. In his Democracy Day address marking 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, the President described Nigeria’s democratic journey as a major achievement and urged citizens to continue […]
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President Bola Tinubu has defended his administration’s economic and security reforms while announcing national honours for dozens of pro-democracy activists and key figures in Nigeria’s June 12 struggle.
In his Democracy Day address marking 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule, the President described Nigeria’s democratic journey as a major achievement and urged citizens to continue strengthening democratic institutions.
Tinubu called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful, transparent and credible elections in Ekiti and Osun states, stressing that democracy suffers when citizens lose confidence in the electoral process.
The President paid tribute to heroes of the June 12 struggle, including the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Alfred Rewane and Pa Abraham Adesanya, among others, for their sacrifices in the fight for democratic governance.
Addressing security concerns, Tinubu acknowledged recent incidents, including the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states, but maintained that his administration was making progress in tackling insecurity.
According to him, the Federal Government has declared a security emergency, approved the recruitment of over 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel, and allocated N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 budget.
He stated that terror-related deaths had declined significantly and disclosed that more than 13,000 terrorists were neutralised in the past year. The President also revealed that over 124,000 insurgents and their dependants had surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor since 2023.
On the economy, Tinubu defended the reforms introduced by his administration since 2023, describing them as necessary measures to stabilise public finances, restore investor confidence and lay the foundation for sustainable growth.
He noted that government revenues had increased, fiscal transparency had improved and investments were expanding across agriculture, energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation, technology and the creative industries.
The President highlighted increased domestic refining capacity, describing it as a key step toward strengthening Nigeria’s energy security and reducing reliance on imported petroleum products.
On electricity, Tinubu said his administration had introduced reforms through the Electricity Act, which empowers states to generate, transmit and distribute power. He added that the Presidential Power Sector Task Force had been authorised to raise N4 trillion to settle verified legacy debts and address the country’s metering deficit.
Tinubu also reiterated his administration’s commitment to local government autonomy, describing effective grassroots governance as critical to national development and security.
As part of the Democracy Day celebrations, the President announced that the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna would be renamed the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology in honour of the late military officer and pro-democracy figure.
He also conferred national honours on several journalists, activists, lawyers, academics, politicians and military officers who played significant roles in Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
Among those recognised were Ayoka Lawani, Tunde Fagbenle, Oladele Alake, Olatunji Bello, Louis Odion, Segun Babatope, Bola Bolawole, Femi Kusa, Debo Adeniran, Ayo Opadokun, Joe Okei-Odumakin, Richard Akinnola, Niran Malaolu, Ishola Williams, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju and Ike Okonta.
Tinubu urged Nigerians to remain united and committed to national progress, saying the current generation must secure economic prosperity just as previous generations secured independence and democracy.
“June 12 reminds us that Nigerians do not break. We bend, we bleed, but we do not break,” the President said.
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