By Ayo Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu on Friday issued one of his administration’s strongest warnings yet to terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, and their financiers, declaring that criminal elements threatening Nigeria’s security must either surrender immediately or face “the full force of the Nigerian State.”
Delivering a nationwide address to commemorate Nigeria’s 2026 Democracy Day celebration marking 27 uninterrupted years of democratic governance, Tinubu said his administration would show no mercy to individuals and groups “who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” even as he defended his government’s aggressive security operations and sweeping economic reforms.
The President, while acknowledging growing insecurity across parts of the country, particularly the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State and Borno State, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government remained fully committed to restoring national security and dismantling criminal networks terrorising communities nationwide.
“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,” Tinubu declared.
The President stressed that democracy could not thrive in an atmosphere of insecurity, noting that his administration had since declared what he described as a “security emergency” aimed at confronting terrorism, insurgency, and violent criminality.
According to him, the government had already approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 additional police officers alongside thousands of military personnel to strengthen internal security operations across the federation.
Tinubu disclosed that the Federal Government had allocated N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 national budget, describing it as the largest security allocation in Nigeria’s history.
He said the administration had significantly upgraded military strategy, shifting from conventional joint training exercises with international allies including the United States and France toward precision-targeted counterterrorism operations.
Highlighting recent military successes, Tinubu revealed that Nigerian security forces had successfully destroyed a major command structure belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province in Arege, located in Borno State.
The President further claimed that terror-related deaths across Nigeria had dropped by 81 percent since 2015, while more than 13,000 terrorists were neutralised within the last year alone.
He also disclosed that under the government’s deradicalisation initiative, Operation Safe Corridor, over 124,000 fighters and their dependents had surrendered since 2023.
Beyond security concerns, Tinubu used the Democracy Day address to defend his administration’s controversial economic reforms, insisting that difficult decisions taken since assuming office in 2023 were necessary to rescue Nigeria from fiscal collapse.
The President said that before his administration, Nigeria’s public finances were under severe strain, investor confidence had weakened significantly, and economic uncertainty posed serious threats to national development.
According to him, economic reforms implemented over the last three years have restored credibility to fiscal management, improved transparency, and significantly increased federation revenues available to federal, state, and local governments.
“Since 2023, our reforms have restored stability and credibility to economic management. Federation revenues have risen, providing states and local governments with more resources for infrastructure, education, healthcare, and security,” he said.
Tinubu added that investor confidence had begun returning, particularly in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, technology, energy, and Nigeria’s growing creative sector.
The President further stated that domestic petroleum refining capacity had increased substantially, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel while strengthening national energy security.
Addressing Nigeria’s chronic electricity crisis, Tinubu painted a grim picture of the sector he inherited in 2023, describing it as one crippled by weak generation capacity, poor transmission infrastructure, legacy debt burdens, and a metering deficit exceeding four million households.
He noted that the signing of the Electricity Act 2023 had fundamentally restructured the power sector by granting state governments constitutional authority to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity independently.
Tinubu revealed that the Presidential Power Sector Task Force had been authorised to raise a N4 trillion bond to clear longstanding legacy debts within the electricity value chain.
He added that the Rural Electrification Agency, with support from the World Bank and the African Development Bank, had accelerated deployment of off-grid and mini-grid electricity projects to universities, hospitals, markets, and underserved rural communities.
“Electricity is a democratic dividend we owe every Nigerian. We intend to deliver it,” he stated.
Tinubu also linked Nigeria’s worsening insecurity partly to weak grassroots governance, insisting that meaningful democracy must translate into functional and financially independent local governments.
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to securing financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local government councils, describing local government dysfunction as one of the country’s greatest development setbacks.
“Democracy is undermined when people do not feel its impact. The insecurity we are addressing is partly due to the collapse of grassroots governance. The Renewed Hope Agenda is about ensuring all Nigerians benefit from governance,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey, Tinubu paid tribute to heroes of the June 12 struggle whose sacrifices helped end military dictatorship and restore democratic governance. He honoured late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, widely regarded as the symbol of the June 12 struggle, alongside his wife Kudirat Abiola.
