…Tasks colleagues on laws that unlock growth, strengthen institutions
As the political season gradually approaches, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio has called on all political parties and actors to be guided by conscience, civility, and patriotism.
This was just as he charged legislators to give priority to laws that unlock growth, strengthen institutions, secure lives and property as well as restore public confidence in governance.
Welcoming his colleagues from six weeks recess after the Christmas and New Year holiday on Tuesday, Akpabio said Nigeria’s unity and stability must never become casualties of ambition, pointing out that “democracy is best served when competition is principled, discourse is responsible, and the national interest remains paramount.”
The Senate President formerly announced the death of a colleague, Senator Godiya Akwashiki (SDP Nasarawa North), who died on December 31, 2025 at the age of 52, saying he was a committed public servant who brought diligence, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility to his legislative duties.
He particularly urged lawmakers to leave behind a vision of Nigeria that is not only more governable, but where institutions are stronger than individuals, and gives hope for a better future.
In his speech, titled: “The Final Stretch: Finishing The Work, Honouring The Trust”, the Senate President emphasized on sustained collaboration with all stakeholders, including the Executive, guided always by mutual respect and constitutional responsibility, adding that “cooperation remains our compass—not for convenience, but for national progress.”
“We must resist the temptation of unfinished business and legislative clutter. What we pass now must be what Nigeria truly needs now—laws that work, reforms that endure, and oversight that corrects rather than merely criticises.
“It must also be a legacy phase—a time of house-cleaning: clearing bottlenecks, completing what we started, and leaving behind a legislative house that is orderly, principled, and functional. History will not judge us by volume, but by value; not by noise, but by impact.
“We must leave behind a vision of Nigeria that is more governable than we met it, more just than we found it, and more hopeful than it was entrusted to us—a Nigeria where institutions are stronger than individuals, where laws serve the people rather than burden them, and where the future feels possible again,” he stressed.
Speaking on security, he commended the continued military collaboration between Nigeria and the United States in the fight against terrorism, noting that “such partnerships reinforce our national security efforts and affirm that Nigeria stands with allies in confronting forces that threaten peace and stability.”
He, however, extended the Senate’s sympathies to the families who have lost sons and daughters to insecurity across the country, saying their grief is a reminder that security is not an abstract concept—it is about lives, homes, and futures that must be protected.
Akpabio noted that between the recess period and today, Nigeria has continued its steady march—through economic pressures, security challenges, social demands, and the quiet resilience of the people.
While pointing out that Nigerians have endured, adapted, and persevered, he added that they have not been silent; they have spoken through enterprise and an abiding belief that tomorrow can be better than today.
He, however, emphasized the need to respond with urgency to the warning by the United Nations that as many as 35 million Nigerians may face hunger this year, saying this sobering reality demands a doubling of effort—through legislation, oversight, and collaboration—to strengthen food security, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that no Nigerian is abandoned to despair.