President Bola Tinubu is set to deliver a national address at 7 a.m. on Thursday as part of activities to commemorate the 2025 Democracy Day celebration.
Following the morning broadcast, the President is expected to attend a joint session of the National Assembly scheduled for noon at the legislative complex in Abuja.
The announcement came through a statement released on Wednesday by Abdulhakeem Adeoye on behalf of the Director of Information & Public Relations of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Democracy Day.
According to the statement, there will be no ceremonial parade this year. Instead, the day’s programme will conclude with a public lecture at 4 p.m. at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
This year’s lecture, themed “Consolidating on the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms”, aims to provide a reflective and forward-looking discourse on Nigeria’s democratic journey and institutional reforms needed to strengthen it.
The 2025 Democracy Day celebration marks 26 years since Nigeria transitioned from military to civilian rule in 1999, a milestone in the country’s political history. Previously observed on May 29—coinciding with presidential inaugurations—the date was moved to June 12 in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
This shift was to honour the memory of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s most credible, and the presumed winner, the late MKO Abiola.
This year’s observance will be the third under President Tinubu’s administration, which began in 2023 following a fiercely contested general election. While the day is being marked as a democratic milestone, it has also opened space for critical national reflection.
Dele Momodu, publisher and a prominent figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), added his voice to growing concerns about the state of democracy in the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Momodu did not mince words as he criticized the current state of governance, warning that Nigeria may be veering dangerously into authoritarianism under civilian rule.
In his view, the promise of democracy appears increasingly hollow to many citizens who continue to grapple with hunger and economic hardship. “I’m very happy that today coincides with the lead-up to June 12 (Democracy Day), so that if we still have any iota of conscience left, we’ll realise we have damaged this democracy,” Momodu remarked.
He went on to say, “The summary of it all is that on the eve of June 12, Nigeria is virtually back to civilian dictators who don’t care how you feel or what you think. Nigerians are hungry. We’ve damaged this democracy, and I hope we’ve not damaged it beyond repair because the audacity, the effrontery of this set of politicians—whether in the executive, legislature, or local government—is totally unbelievable.”
While government officials prepare for what is expected to be a reflective yet celebratory Democracy Day, the sentiments expressed by critics like Momodu underscore the tension between institutional continuity and citizen disillusionment.
The challenge ahead, observers note, lies in converting symbolic gestures and speeches into genuine democratic reforms that address public grievances and preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s hard-won democratic experiment.
What you should know
President Tinubu will deliver a nationwide address and attend official Democracy Day events on June 12, as Nigeria marks 26 years of uninterrupted democratic governance.
Amid the celebrations, critics like Dele Momodu have raised alarm over what they describe as a drift toward civilian dictatorship, calling for urgent reforms to safeguard the nation’s democracy.
