Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the national assembly would continue to work with President Bola Tinubu in the nation’s interest.
He insisted that parliament’s constitutional duty is to
serve Nigerians rather than manufacture conflict with the executive.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday while declaring open the 2026
National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.
He said parliament was established to serve Nigerians and
should remain accessible to citizens rather than operate as a closed
institution.
“These walls were never meant to keep Nigerians out. They
were built to welcome them in — not merely as spectators of democracy, but as
its rightful owners,” Akpabio said.
The senate president restated that parliament belongs to the
people whose votes created it and not to lawmakers.
“Parliament belongs not to those elected to sit within it,
but to the millions whose hopes and votes brought it into existence,” he said.
“Parliament was never built to keep the people out. It was
built to bring them in, for democracy flourishes only in the confidence of an
informed and engaged citizenry.”
‘PARLIAMENT SHOULD NEVER FEAR INFORMED CRITICISM’
Akpabio said public confidence in democratic institutions
could only be strengthened through transparency and accountability.
“Public confidence is earned not by asking citizens to trust
institutions blindly, but by embracing transparency and accountability,” he
said.
“Parliament should never fear informed criticism. Questions
strengthen democracy. Transparency strengthens legitimacy. The more Nigerians
understand our work, the stronger our democracy becomes.”
He urged Nigerians to engage more actively with the
legislature by attending public hearings, scrutinising its work and holding
lawmakers accountable.
“We invite Nigerians not merely to observe us, but to engage
with us; not merely to applaud where they agree, but to challenge us where they
believe we can do better,” he said.
“A parliament that listens becomes wiser. A democracy that
listens becomes stronger.”
Akpabio said the 10th national assembly had passed more than
100 bills in its first three years, describing the feat as unprecedented at
this stage of Nigeria’s democratic journey.
He said the legislature had enacted laws to strengthen
national security, return out-of-school children to classrooms, modernise the
country’s tax system, approve a new national minimum wage, stimulate investment
and establish regional development commissions.
The senate president added that the national assembly had
approached the screening and confirmation of public officeholders with the
seriousness required by the constitution.
He also said Nigeria regained a seat on the executive
committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union after nearly six decades, describing
the feat as a sign of renewed international confidence in the country’s
democratic institutions.
‘WORKING WITH TINUBU NOT CONSTITUTIONAL SURRENDER’
Akpabio defended the relationship between the legislature
and the executive, saying cooperation with Tinubu should not be mistaken for
loss of parliamentary independence.
“Throughout these responsibilities, the national assembly
has worked constructively with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in pursuit of
national progress,” he said.
“Constructive partnership should never be mistaken for
constitutional surrender. Parliament does not prove its independence by
manufacturing conflict, nor its relevance by opposing for opposition’s sake.
“Our constitutional duty is to support what advances the
national interest, to question what requires scrutiny, and to correct what
demands improvement. That is the balance we have sought to maintain, and
history, I believe, will judge it fairly.”
Akpabio added that the senate and house of representatives
have worked with “uncommon harmony and mutual respect” over the past three
years.
Addressing Nigerians directly, the senate president urged
citizens to take ownership of the legislature by participating actively in its
activities.
“Whether you are with us today, following these proceedings
online, listening on radio, watching on television, or gathered beneath a mango
tree in a village square, this parliament belongs to you,” he said.
“Come closer. Attend our public hearings. Read the laws we
make. Question us. Challenge us. Encourage us. Democracy flourishes when
citizens remain active participants in the work of self-government.”
Akpabio expressed hopes that the Open Week initiative would
deepen public trust and strengthen the bond between parliament and the people.
“The true measure of parliament is not the height of its
walls, but the depth of its people’s confidence,” he added.
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