President Bola Tinubu has vowed to intensify the fight against terrorism, accelerate economic reforms, and deepen grassroots governance across the nation’s 774 local government councils.
In his nationwide broadcast on Friday, marking 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance in Nigeria, Tinubu pledged to defeat criminal elements threatening national stability.
Speaking in the wake of recent child abductions in Oyo and Borno States, the President said his administration has declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers alongside thousands of military personnel.
“Democracy without security is not solid enough,” he stated, adding that the 2026 Budget commits N5.41trillion to defence and security -the largest allocation in the nation’s history.
He highlighted the gains so far made against insurgency in the country, claiming that terror-related deaths have fallen 81% since 2015, with over 13,000 terrorists neutralised in the past year.
He also pointed to a voluntary disarmament initiative, Operation Safe Corridor, through which more than 124,000 fighters and their dependents have laid down arms since 2023.
He advised violent non-state actors to surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State, warning that the windows of surrender would not remain open forever.
On the economy, the President defended the painful reforms launched since he took office in May 2023, acknowledging that many Nigerians continue to face hardship even as microeconomic indicators improve.
According to him, Federation revenues have risen since the removal of the fuel subsidy, improving resource flows to states and local governments.
He also mentioned that investor confidence has returned across agriculture, energy, manufacturing, technology, mining, and the creative industries. Adding that non-oil exports grew by 21% last year, and over 1,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been certified for export.
On the electricity crisis, Tinubu said he has signed the Electricity Act devolving power generation, transmission and distribution authority to states. According to him, a Presidential Power Sector Task Force has been authorised to raise a N4 trillion bond to settle verified legacy debts.
“We are moving from uncertainty to stability,” he said. “The next phase is about accelerating growth and ensuring the benefits are felt in every home, every community, every region.”
Framing his economic agenda in democratic terms, Tinubu argued that political freedom alone is insufficient. Democracy must be felt in the quality of people’s lives- in opportunities for youth, in prosperous farmers, successful entrepreneurs, and the dignity of our workers,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to advance financial autonomy for local government councils, arguing that the collapse of grassroots governance had contributed directly to the insecurity now plaguing the country.
President Tinubu announced national honours for dozens of Nigerians who, he said, endured persecution, exile, imprisonment, and solitary confinement during the struggle to restore democracy in the 1990s. The full lists to be released in the coming days.
Among those to be honoured are journalists, lawyers, activists, and civil society leaders including Richard Akinnola, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Chief Ayo Opadokun, and Major General Ishola Willians (rtd). Several awards are posthumous.
The President also recognised a group he called “Soldiers-Democrats”- military officers who risked their careers and faced punishment for opposing the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election result.
In a separate institutional tribute, Tinubu announced that the completed Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna would be revitalised and 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.
With governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States imminent, Tinubu called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and political parties to ensure the polls are peaceful and credible. “Democracy falls when citizens doubt the process,” he warned.
In conclusion, the President urged young Nigerians to stay and build the country rather than emigrate. “Every great nation was built by those who stayed to solve problems, not by those who abandoned the ship,” he said.
