Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the National Assembly must serve as a bridge through which the hopes and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians are translated into government decisions.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Arusha, Tanzania, where he led Nigeria’s delegation. His address was titled “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity.”
The Senate President said democracy should not be judged solely by elections or economic statistics, but by the extent to which government decisions improve the daily lives of citizens.
According to him, the real measure of progress is whether children can access education, young people can find meaningful employment and families can face the future with greater confidence.
Akpabio identified inclusion, trust and opportunity as essential foundations of a democracy that gives citizens a voice and communities a place in national development.
He said public trust could not be imposed or created through legislation, but had to be earned through fairness, transparency and accountability.
“Every promise kept strengthens trust; every citizen heard brings government closer to the people,” he said.
Akpabio said the National Assembly had a responsibility to represent citizens through legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight, stressing that its chambers must reflect the concerns of Nigerians who may never have the opportunity to physically enter them.
He described Parliament as a bridge through which the hopes of ordinary Nigerians reach government and influence national decisions.
The Senate President also stressed the importance of inclusion in a country as diverse as Nigeria, saying the nation’s different ethnic groups, languages, cultures and faiths should be regarded as sources of strength.
He maintained that no citizen should feel excluded from Nigeria’s common future and no community should remain at the margins of national development.
Akpabio further said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, working with the 10th National Assembly, was pursuing reforms aimed at widening participation and expanding opportunities for Nigerians.
He cited regional development institutions, tax reforms and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund among measures he said were intended to bring government interventions closer to citizens and reduce barriers to opportunity.
On education, Akpabio highlighted NELFUND’s interest-free financing for eligible students, saying financial circumstances should not determine the future of young Nigerians.
He urged parliamentarians to strengthen democratic institutions by building legislatures that listen, governments that serve and institutions that maintain public confidence.
“Let us turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity,” he said, adding that even the smallest communities should have a stake in the country’s national ambitions.
Akpabio said democracy becomes meaningful when citizens can feel that they belong, that their voices are heard and that their future matters.
