The Chancellor of Achievers University, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, CFR, has declared that national security remains the foundational ground upon which Nigeria’s peace, development and renewal must be built, calling for sustained investment in education, intelligence and inclusive development.
Delivering his address at the 16th Convocation Ceremony of the university on Saturday, Dogara said: “Some days are simply lived, Others are remembered for a lifetime,” congratulating the graduating Class of 2026 for persevering through “early mornings and late nights” to earn their degrees.
Dogara, who spoke on the theme “Rethinking National Security For Sustainable Peace, Development and National Renewal,” praised parents and lecturers as “quiet architects” of the day, noting that “a nation is only ever as strong as its teachers.”
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives highlighted Federal Government investments in education under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“Every nation makes a choice about its young people. It can leave them at the gate, or it can open the door. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has chosen to open it,” Dogara stated.
He cited the Student Loans Act and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), noting that since its portal opened in May 2024, NELFUND has paid out over N372.62 billion in student loans to students in public tertiary institutions. He expressed hope that the scheme would extend to private universities like Achievers.
He also lauded the resolution of the 16-year impasse with university lecturers, with a new agreement effective January 1, 2026 that raised lecturers’ salaries by 40 percent.
“A government that rewards those who teach is a government that understands where the future is made,” he said.
Anchoring his speech on Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution which provides that security and welfare are the primary purpose of government, Dogara said security is not one item on the national agenda but “the ground on which the entire agenda stands.”
Quoting Franklin Roosevelt’s “Freedom from Fear,” he said a people living in dread cannot be fully free.
While acknowledging that insecurity did not begin in 2023 but gathered over years due to porous borders, illegal arms, youth unemployment and extremism, Dogara said President Tinubu has made security central to his administration.
He referenced ongoing military operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits and kidnappers, noting reports that over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised and over 124,000 fighters and dependants have surrendered through deradicalisation programmes.
He also acknowledged President Tinubu’s November 2025 declaration of a nationwide security emergency, including authorisation to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers, raising planned recruitment to 50,000, and deployment of forest guards to occupy ungoverned spaces.
“These measures demonstrate recognition at the highest level of government that Nigeria’s security challenges require sustained attention,” Dogara said.
He however cautioned that operational successes must translate to impact.
“However, acknowledging these efforts must not be confused with declaring victory. Security initiatives must ultimately be judged by their lasting impact on the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” he said, pointing to continued kidnappings, attacks on rural communities and threats to schools and places of worship.
“Our responsibility, therefore, is neither to dismiss progress nor to exaggerate it. It is to recognise what is working, strengthen it, identify what is failing and demand better results.”
Dogara called for a strategy to “hold the ground and advance,” urging government to let intelligence lead through surveillance technology and data analytics, secure farms, villages and highways, starve terror financing networks, ensure justice keeps pace with security, and pair development with security.
Citing former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he said “there can be no long-term security without development, and no long-term development without security.”
“Security is a shared duty. Government, traditional rulers, community leaders, schools, churches, mosques, civil society and business must stand together. Nigeria has never been defeated when it has stood as one,” he added.
He described universities as places where a nation rehearses its future, urging Achievers University to continue supplying solutions for governance and security.
Charging the graduands, Dogara invoked Nelson Mandela’s words that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world, urging them to deploy their knowledge in service of Nigeria.
“Go out and be useful in the highest sense of the word. If you become a lawyer, serve justice. If you become a doctor, serve life. If you become an engineer, build what our country needs,” he said.
He concluded with optimism: “A secure Nigeria is possible. A peaceful Nigeria is necessary. A free and prosperous Nigeria must remain our common mission.”