Nigerian lawmakers mull bill for president's inauguration at National Assembly Complex

The National Assembly is considering a bill that would mandate future presidents to be sworn in at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, instead of Eagle Square.

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The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, revealed the proposal during a media briefing on Tuesday in Abuja ahead of the country’s Democracy Day celebration.

Mr Bamidele said the planned legislation reflects the lawmakers’ desire to reshape Nigeria’s democratic traditions.

“We are also hoping to change our political setting to the extent that the swearing-in of the next president and commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will, by the grace of God, be in the arcade of the National Assembly of Nigeria,” Mr Bamidele said.

Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, presidential inaugurations have traditionally been held at Eagle Square, a symbolic facility between the Federal Secretariat and the Head of Service building in Abuja’s Central Business District.

The square, constructed in 1999, has served as the primary venue for state events, including Independence Day celebrations, Armed Forces Remembrance Day parades, and presidential inaugurations.

Beyond official functions, Eagle Square has hosted political rallies, religious gatherings, concerts, and large public ceremonies.

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If the parliament successfully relocates the swearing-in ceremony to the National Assembly, the legislative complex would become the central stage for national transitions of power.

Institutionalising the state of the nation address

In addition to the proposed change in inauguration venue, the senate leader also disclosed that the National Assembly is working on legislation that would legalise the president’s annual state of the nation address, to be delivered every 12 June in a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

“It is our desire to institutionalise the state of the nation address. We will bring a bill to address it to ensure that it is institutionalised. People should look forward to it. President Tinubu is working with the National Assembly in that regard. We are initiating a bill very soon to institutionalise the State of the Nation Address. June 12 will be a better time for the president to address the nation through the National Assembly.

“There is no better time than June 12 for the president to address the nation because of its historical significance. It is a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Nigerians should look forward to this legislative initiative,” Mr Bamidele added.

The proposal aims to make the president’s address a constitutional tradition similar to the U.S. State of the Union, ensuring consistent accountability and communication between the executive and the citizens through their elected representatives.

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President Bola Tinubu has been invited to deliver this year’s State of the Nation address before a joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, 12 June 2025, to mark Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

The occasion celebrates the legacy of Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as the most transparent and credible in Nigeria’s history. The military administration of Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election.