Blessing Bello, Reporting
ABUJA — The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has voiced profound disappointment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2026 Democracy Day address, condemning large swathes of the speech as repetitive, out of touch with the suffering of ordinary Nigerians, and fundamentally flawed in its handling of the nation’s worsening security crisis.
In a statement released on Friday, HURIWA’s national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, acknowledged the President’s tribute to June 12 heroes and democratic values but argued that the address failed to confront the most pressing issues facing citizens: terrorism, rampant insecurity, the soaring cost of living, mass unemployment, and the escalating threat to education across swathes of the country.
The rights group reserved its sharpest criticism for Mr Tinubu’s continued insistence on keeping “the door of surrender open” to terrorists who have slaughtered thousands of innocent Nigerians, razed communities, abducted schoolchildren and displaced millions.
“HURIWA considers this position fundamentally flawed,” the statement read. “What exactly happens after terrorists surrender? Are Nigerians expected to continue witnessing a policy under which individuals responsible for mass killings are rehabilitated, reintegrated, and returned to society while victims and their families continue to suffer without justice?”
The association firmly rejected any policy that appears to reward terrorism with rehabilitation whilst devastated communities remain neglected. Instead of endlessly extending surrender offers, HURIWA urged the Federal Government to deploy the full might of the Nigerian Armed Forces, backed by the best available intelligence-gathering capabilities, to identify terrorist enclaves and dismantle them completely through carefully co-ordinated military operations.
“The primary responsibility of government is to protect law-abiding citizens, not to negotiate endlessly with those who have declared war against the Nigerian state,” the group added.
Equally disturbing, HURIWA said, was the President’s failure to address allegations of sabotage within the nation’s security architecture. For years, accusations have persisted that some insiders within the military and security establishments leak operational plans to terrorists and criminal networks, undermining missions and exposing personnel to danger.
HURIWA had expected the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to announce concrete measures aimed at identifying, investigating and rooting out such saboteurs. “His silence on this critical issue represents a major omission,” the statement said.
The association also expressed alarm at the absence of a comprehensive plan for securing Nigerian schools. With school abductions continuing to traumatise families and force thousands of children out of classrooms, the lack of any detailed commitment to school safety was described as unacceptable.
“Education is a fundamental human right. Yet many parents across Northern Nigeria remain fearful of sending their children to school because of persistent threats from terrorists, bandits and kidnappers. A Democracy Day speech that fails to address the protection of children and educational institutions cannot be considered complete,” HURIWA said.
Furthermore, the group noted that the speech devoted extensive attention to government achievements and the distribution of national honours while offering insufficient acknowledgment of the suffocating cost-of-living crisis. Millions of families are struggling to afford food, transport, healthcare, housing and education. Inflation continues to erode purchasing power, while unemployment and underemployment remain at disturbing levels, particularly among young people.
“Poverty, hunger, unemployment and economic hopelessness are themselves grave threats to democracy,” HURIWA warned. “A democracy in which citizens cannot afford basic necessities is a democracy under severe strain.”
The association also observed that large portions of the address closely mirrored themes repeatedly presented in previous national statements, offering little in the way of fresh policy direction or innovative solutions.
“While national honours have their place in preserving history and recognising sacrifice, governance cannot be reduced to the annual distribution of awards. What Nigerians urgently require are measurable improvements in security, economic wellbeing, access to education, job creation and public confidence in state institutions.”
HURIWA called on President Tinubu to move beyond ceremonial declarations and provide Nigerians with a concrete, results-driven roadmap for defeating terrorism, securing schools, addressing economic hardship, tackling unemployment and strengthening democratic institutions.
“The sacrifices of the heroes of June 12 can only be truly honoured when democracy delivers security, justice, prosperity and hope to ordinary Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
