The Nigerian National Assembly has resolved to institutionalise the president’s annual State of the Nation Address, to be delivered every 12 June at a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The resolution through voice votes followed a proposal by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, while delivering his address at the joint session of the House and the Senate held on Thursday to commemorate the 2025 Democracy Day.
President Bola Tinubu attended the event, where he delivered an address to the nation.
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In his remarks, Mr Tajudeen commended the president’s presence at the joint session as a remarkable gesture of commitment to democratic norms.
“Mr President, permit me one final, earnest appeal. Today’s ceremony has been truly magnificent, and you have achieved what past Assemblies could only dream of: an annual address by the President to a joint session of the National Assembly. By accepting our invitation, you have made history. I respectfully urge that we now institutionalise this address as an annual event,” he said.
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After the speaker’s address, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, put it to a voice vote, and the lawmakers approved it without debate.
The approval sets the stage for what many see as Nigeria’s version of the US State of the Union Address.
If it is eventually practised, Nigeria’s presidents will on 12 June every year address the legislature and, by extension, the Nigerian people on the status, challenges, and prospects of the nation.
The address will also provide a yearly platform for the Nigerian president to review policy enforcement, economic performance, national security issues, and legislative collaboration.
The development aligns with a legislative push for constitutional reforms regarding key national ceremonies.
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However, it is unclear if the lawmakers will propose a bill to fully legalise the state of the nation address.
Earlier in the week, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, revealed that the National Assembly was working on a bill to formalise the president’s address to the nation on 12 June every year.
The Ekiti Central senator noted that the reforms aim to reshape Nigeria’s democratic traditions.
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