Senate Vows Firm, Principled Oversight of Executive – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has vowed that the National Assembly will maintain a principled, frank, and firm relationship with the executive arm of government, insisting that lawmakers must rise above theatrics and focus on delivering meaningful governance.

Addressing senators on Tuesday as plenary resumed after a recess, Akpabio said leadership is a responsibility that demands integrity, not performance or showmanship.

“Leadership is not a carnival, and governance is not a stage for theatrics. Let no one mistake the nation’s destiny for a costume drama, nor confuse applause with achievement,” he said.

Akpabio added that the legislature would neither be subservient nor obstructive. “Where policies raise our people, we shall lend our strength; where they imperil them, we shall speak on their behalf,” he said.

He congratulated President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians on the country’s 65th independence anniversary, describing the nation’s journey as “a relay — one generation handing the torch of faith and sacrifice to the next.”

The Senate President also expressed condolences to victims of recent tragedies, including the boat mishap in Kogi, the mosque attack in Katsina, and the killing of forest guards in Kwara. He sympathised with residents affected by flooding across Bayelsa, Sokoto, Zamfara, and other states, urging stronger collaboration between federal and state governments to prevent a recurrence.

Highlighting national achievements, Akpabio noted the rise in oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day but warned that the gains must be channeled toward fiscal discipline, infrastructure renewal, and job creation rather than short-term windfalls.

On food security, he expressed concern that over 33 million Nigerians currently face hunger. “Hunger cannot be defeated with words; it requires policy, budget, and will,” he said, calling for increased focus on agriculture, mechanisation, and rural development.

Reaffirming the importance of legislative independence, Akpabio said: “The foundation of every democracy is its legislature. Those who seek to weaken it, in truth, seek to undermine democracy itself.”

He urged senators to return to legislative duties with renewed purpose, stressing that the Senate should be remembered as “an instrument of national transformation, a citadel of democracy, and a beacon of hope.”