President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday extended Eid greetings to Muslim communities in the country and around the world, describing the holiday as a moment to reaffirm national unity, the government’s reform agenda, and the fight against violent extremism.
In his Eid-el-Kabir message delivered for the 2026 festival, President Tinubu invoked the Qur’anic story of Prophet Ibrahim, emphasizing “faith, obedience, and the willingness to sacrifice for a higher purpose” as guiding principles for Nigerians.
The President called on Nigerians to embrace “sacrifice, selflessness, unity, and compassion,” and urged Muslims to pray for peace and for wisdom for the nation’s leaders.
“As a nation, we are on a journey of reconstruction and renewal,” President Tinubu said, describing the administration’s three-year programme of economic and security reforms as difficult but necessary to “build a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria for future generations.”
He credited the reforms with delivering a more stable economy and bolstering Nigeria’s attractiveness to investors, saying “the walk through the dark tunnel is over, and the light is here.”
The President also reiterated his administration’s commitment to continuing investments in security, infrastructure, agriculture, and human capital, and said he expected the reforms to yield “improved security and greater opportunities for all.”
He acknowledged ongoing violence in some communities, however, and praised security and intelligence services for recent successes—including the elimination of a wanted ISIS leader—while assuring affected citizens that they are “neither abandoned nor forgotten.”
“We will ultimately defeat all the forces of evil,” Tinubu said, adding that those who commit crimes should either “rethink and abandon their evil ways, or face the full weight of the law.”
The President further urged Nigerians to extend charity and support to the less privileged during the holiday, calling on communities to “strengthen the bonds of brotherhood that unite us as one people.”
He wished Nigerians a “peaceful, joyous, and blessed Eid al-Kabir,” and invoked God’s acceptance of sacrifices and prayers.
NewsQuest reports that the President Tinubu’s remarks come amid broader efforts by his government to consolidate public support for his reform programmes ahead of the 2027 general election.
Our correspondent gathered that while many Nigerians have credited gradual improvements in inflation and foreign investment flows to policy shifts implemented since he took office three years ago, critics continue to point to persistent security challenges, rising living costs, and uneven distribution of economic gains.
