No military parade for second year as FG keeps Independence Day low-key

For a second year in a row, the Federal Government's Independence Day programme did not include the traditional military parade, Daily Trust reports.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee for the 66th anniversary listed a world press conference, Juma'at and church services, a public lecture and the President's nationwide broadcast. The parade was last held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on 1 October 2024 and was cancelled in 2025.

In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters rejected reports that the 2025 cancellation was linked to an alleged coup plot. In January 2026 it confirmed that investigations had identified some officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government, and said those with cases to answer would go before military judicial panels.

The government has not said that this year's absence of a parade is linked to security concerns or the coup case, and it did not announce a cancellation as it did in 2025; the parade simply does not appear on the official programme. President Tinubu delivered his broadcast from Lagos.