President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that securing the lives of Nigerians remains non-negotiable and forms the fundamental bedrock for achieving the nation’s economic ambitions and lasting prosperity.
The President made the assertion on Friday while addressing the graduation ceremony of participants of Course 34 of the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja. He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, President Tinubu emphasised that the safety and protection of lives constitute the baseline for meaningful business expansion, investment inflows, and community prosperity.
“Our economic ambitions accompany the duty to secure our people,” the President stated. “The Armed Forces and security agencies continue to confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, piracy and organised criminality with courage and professionalism. Government will provide equipment, training, resources and institutional support for their constitutional duties.”
Linking national stability directly to economic opportunity, Tinubu noted: “Peace creates room for enterprise, and enterprise enlarges the citizen’s stake in peace. When communities recover security, opportunity must follow, because stability grows where people can work, trade, learn and hope.”
The President reiterated that the administration’s broader economic strategy under the Renewed Hope Agenda focuses on stabilising macroeconomic fundamentals, strengthening local industries, expanding critical infrastructure, and creating an environment capable of attracting both domestic and foreign investment. He stressed, however, that these goals cannot be sustained without a secure and stable environment.
Tinubu charged the graduating officers of the National Defence College to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and contribute to peace and cooperation across Africa, noting that 103 participants successfully completed the programme.
The President’s remarks reaffirm the Federal Government’s dual commitment to protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians while building a productive, diversified, and competitive economy.