The National Assembly has formally adopted June 12 as the day for the President of Nigeria to address a joint session of the legislature on the state of the nation.

The decision was taken on Thursday during a special Democracy Day sitting at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, where President Bola Tinubu delivered a commemorative address to lawmakers.

Presiding over the joint session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the formalisation of the date following a motion raised by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

After the joint session moved and adopted the motion,  Sen. Akpabio added: “Mr President, that is the motion of the National Assembly, done in your presence. Mr Speaker, the statistics do not lie—we are quite happy with the data you rolled out and the House that we all run”.

The Senate had earlier, on June 10, hinted at plans to institutionalise the annual presidential address on June 12, given its historic significance.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele confirmed that a bill to that effect was in the works.

“We are hoping to bring a bill soon to institutionalise the President’s address on June 12 because of its historical importance. There can’t be a better time to address the nation through the Parliament than on June 12, especially since it is a joint sitting of the National Assembly,” he said.