Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on lawmakers to recommit themselves to serving Nigeria as the 10th Senate entered its fourth legislative year. Speaking to senators after they returned from recess, Akpabio urged them to prioritise the nation's interests over personal gains and strengthen the country's democratic institutions.
Akpabio stressed that the recess was not a break from duty to the over 200 million Nigerians the chamber represents. "Parliament may adjourn, but democracy never sleeps," he told his colleagues, recalling how lawmakers visited their constituencies and witnessed Nigerians' continued faith in democratic processes.
He noted that senators were recalled from recess to handle urgent national matters, describing their swift response as proof of patriotism. "Great legislatures are not remembered because they met according to schedule; they are remembered because they rose above schedules whenever the nation demanded it," Akpabio said.
Reflecting on recent political contests across the country, the Senate President observed that while some politicians won primaries and others lost, the real victory was sustaining constitutional democracy. He warned that nations don't collapse from holding elections but from refusing to respect them.
"Democracy endures when the nation is valued above victory and ambition bows to the Constitution," he added.
Akpabio expressed deep concern about Nigeria's security crisis, particularly the abduction of schoolchildren in Ondo State and citizens still held by terrorists. He backed the efforts of the Armed Forces, police and intelligence agencies working to free victims.
The Senate President stressed that peace is essential for development. "Roads cannot flourish where fear governs the highways.
Investors cannot build where kidnappers build camps. Farmers cannot feed a nation while fleeing their farms, and children cannot prepare for tomorrow when they are afraid to attend school today," he said.
He called on senators to treat every security appropriation and protective law as investments in Nigeria's future. Lawmakers must legislate wisely, conduct effective oversight and pass laws that drive economic growth, strengthen education and healthcare, create jobs for young people and shield vulnerable citizens, Akpabio insisted.
The Senate President urged the National Assembly to guard public trust through fearless, constructive and non-partisan oversight. He also appealed to lawmakers to build the nation through respectful debate, without personal attacks or questioning each other's patriotism.
"Let us debate without diminishing one another and criticise policies without attacking people," Akpabio told the chamber.
