Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday without the traditional military parade, extending the absence of the ceremonial display to a second consecutive year under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Federal Government’s official programme for this year’s celebration featured a World Press Conference, Juma’at and church services, an Independence Day public lecture and President Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast. A military parade was not included in the schedule.
The omission follows a similar development in 2025, when the government cancelled the Independence Day parade and described the anniversary activities as low-key. However, unlike last year, the government has not issued a specific statement announcing the cancellation of a parade for the 2026 celebration.
The military ceremony was part of the Independence Day programme as recently as 2024, when Tinubu attended proceedings at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, inspected the guard of honour and watched military drills and a ceremonial change of guards.
The Federal Government had earlier said this year’s anniversary would be observed on a low-key basis, with the programme focused on reflection, religious observances, a public lecture and the President’s address to the nation.
Although some reports have drawn attention to the military’s ongoing investigation involving officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government, neither the Presidency nor the Federal Government has publicly linked the absence of the 2026 parade to that matter. The reason for not restoring the traditional ceremony this year therefore remains unspecified.
