President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s determination to ensure the security of lives and property in the country, reasoning that democracy without security is not good enough.
The president made the declaration on Friday in his Democracy Day speech.
Expressing sadness over the state of insecurity in the country, the president said although the mood of this year’s Democracy Day was dampened by the cases of abduction in the country, he expressed belief that those abducted would return home safely.
His words: “Democracy without security is not solid enough.”
He said it was as part of the efforts to ensure security in the country that his administration declared a security emergency and approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 new police officers and thousands of military recruits.
“Our 2026 budget commits N5.41 trillion—our largest ever—to defence and security. Our administration is ever ready to do much more to secure our people,” he added.
The president said the country had moved from training with its allies, the United States, France and other European countries, to precision targeting.
He said in Arege, Borno State, “we degraded ISWAP’s command centre.”
Besides, he stated, “Terror-related deaths are down by 81% since 2015. Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year. But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor.”
The president warned bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror to surrender or face the devastating consequences.
“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.
The president warned that no one should play the blame game, reasoning that “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,” Tinubu asserted.
The president spoke on the importance of Democracy Day praising those who fought the battle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
His words: “June 12 occupies a sacred place in our national memory. It represents more than an election; it is a defining chapter in our story. We remember Chief M.K.O. Abiola, who won a pan-Nigerian mandate transcending ethnicity and religion. We remember Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
“We also remember Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Alfred Rewane, Pa Abraham Adesanya, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Frank Kokori, Arthur Nwankwo, Chima Ubani, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and the many other heroes and heroines of democracy whose sacrifices helped secure the freedoms we enjoy today.
“As beneficiaries of their struggle, we have a duty to strengthen and deepen the democratic institutions for which they fought. The greatest tribute we can pay is to build a Nigeria where freedom is protected, justice is upheld, opportunity is expanded, and government is accountable.
“June 12, 1993, revealed the possibility of a true Nigerian nation. The heroes of June 12 secured political freedom. Our challenge is to secure economic freedom. 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.”
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