ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians to sustain their faith in the country’s democratic journey, declaring that while citizens have the fundamental right to disagree with his administration, they must never abandon their patriotism.
The President made the assertion during his nationwide broadcast to mark the 2026 Democracy Day celebration.
“Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in the nation,” President Tinubu urged in his broadcast.
The address comes at a time of deep national grief and economic devastation, with critics describing this year’s Democracy Day as a mere celebration of failure. Despite his repeated campaign promises to decisively end the nation’s security challenges, Tinubu has presided over a period marked by unprecedented mass killings, rampant kidnappings, and bold bandit raids spanning all geopolitical zones.
Public outrage has intensified over what many label as the most silent presidency in Nigeria’s history. Critics point out that the President routinely maintains a detached silence, failing to personally address the nation or visit communities in the direct aftermath of brutal massacres and large-scale abductions.
Simultaneously, the administration has superintended over the worst economic era in the modern history of Nigeria. The biting impacts of hasty fiscal reforms, historic inflation levels, and the collapse of the local currency have plunged millions into extreme poverty, rendering food and basic utilities completely unaffordable for ordinary citizens.
While the President insisted in his broadcast that these severe hardships are necessary structural steps toward long-term stability, the reality on the ground reflects a stark failure to deliver on the fundamental constitutional duties of governance: securing lives and ensuring the economic well-being of the populace.
