Politics
Tinubu Reiterates Commitment To Peaceful, United Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his commitment to a peaceful and united Nigeria, where all the citizens would coexist without rancour.
President Tinubu, represented by Mohammed Badaru, the Minister of Defence, said this at the 2024 Nigerian Army Day Celebrations on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State.
The president expressed his administration’s readiness to support the military and other security agencies toward safeguarding the nation.
President Tinubu commended the army for its role in stemming the tide of insecurity in the country and described it as a critical element toward nation-building.
“With the increasing security challenges in the last one and a half years, the Nigerian Army is playing a key role toward the protection of lives and property.
“With the display of equipment and physical fitness of personnel I have seen today, I’m convinced that the Nigerian Army is ready to protect our territorial integrity.
“We are committed to providing all that is needed to enable the Nigerian Army to play its role professionally and effectively,” he said.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, thanked the president for the confidence and support for the army in its bid to tackle insecurity in the country.
Lt Gen. Lagbaja, who said the army had demonstrated deep commitment toward addressing insecurity, noted that his troops had achieved significant progress in the fight against insurgency and other forms of security challenges.
“The Nigerian Army under my watch is committed to improving our operational effectiveness to meet the ever-changing violent and complex threats to the nation.
“The army has also expanded and deepened its training activities for operational effectiveness. These measures have enabled us to successfully contain the activities of bandits in the North-West while the heinous crimes of Boko Haram terrorists have been brought to an all-time low.
“The incidences of farmers-herders conflict in the North-Central has equally been curtailed, and we have gained the upper hand against the criminal groups in the South-East, South-West as well as the South-South zones,” he said.
Lt Gen. Lagbaja added that the army had adopted measures toward the total elimination of all threats to the nation and the people within the shortest practicable time.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Kefas Agbu of Taraba, former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, serving and retired senior military officers, among other top government functionaries, attended the event.
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.