President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerian youths to remain in the country and contribute to its development, asserting that the rebuilding of any formidable society relies on the resilience of citizens who choose to stay and address local challenges.
In a nationwide broadcast marking Democracy Day, the President addressed the younger generation directly, emphasizing that their talents are vital to the country’s future.
“To our young people: 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,” President Tinubu stated.
He urged the youth to resist the temptation of migrating abroad, noting that the ultimate growth of the country depends on collective internal effort rather than abandonment.
Reflecting on the milestone of 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule since 1999, the President acknowledged that while Nigeria’s democratic journey remains a work in progress, it represents the longest stretch of civilian governance in the nation’s history.
He maintained that the country must continue to safeguard its political systems, even as he welcomed criticism from various institutional guardrails, including the press and civil society.
“Our democracy is not perfect, but it is ours, and we must continue to defend and strengthen it,” he said, adding an open invitation to stakeholders to engage his administration: “Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in Nigeria.”
Turning to national security, which has been impacted by recent abductions in Oyo and Borno States, President Tinubu declared that political freedom is meaningless without the safety of life and property. He defended his administration’s massive security spending, highlighting that the 2026 budget commits a record N5.41 trillion to defence and security.
The President warned bandits and terrorists to surrender or face the full wrath of the law, noting that military precision targeting has already neutralized over 13,000 terrorists in the past year.
“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 warned.
On the economic front, President Tinubu admitted that current fiscal reforms have brought hardship to many households but insisted they were born out of absolute necessity to restore stability to public finances.
He stated that the next phase of his economic plan is focused on accelerating growth, improving infrastructure, and fixing the perennially broken power sector through the implementation of the Electricity Act and a new N4 trillion bond to clear legacy debts. The President emphasized that governance must have a tangible impact on ordinary citizens, asserting that “democracy must be felt in the quality of people’s lives” and ultimately “must be felt in the pocket.”
The President concluded his address by paying tribute to the historic June 12, 1993 election and the sacrifices of martyrs like Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, and several pro-democracy activists.
He announced that the federal government has approved national awards for numerous heroes of the struggle, alongside the renaming of the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology.
Reaffirming his confidence in the resilience of the citizenry, Tinubu declared that “the road ahead is steep. But June 12 reminds us: Nigerians do not break. We bend, we bleed, but we do not break.”
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