President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has stressed the importance of inclusion, trust and opportunity as foundations of democracy.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday in his address at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Senate President, who is also Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly, said inclusion, trust and opportunity “are the foundations of a democracy that gives every citizen a voice, every community a place and every generation a reason to hope.”
In his address, titled “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity,” Akpabio said that, for Nigeria, democracy meant more than elections, while development meant more than impressive statistics.
He said: “Their true measure is the child who can attend school, the young person who can find work, and the family that can face tomorrow with confidence. If progress is not seen in our people, our work is not finished.
“Trust is the invisible currency of democracy. We cannot command it, demand it, or legislate it into existence. We earn it through fairness, transparency and accountability. Every promise kept strengthens trust; every citizen heard brings government closer to the people.
“The Nigerian National Assembly embraces this responsibility through legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight. Our chambers hear the voices of those who may never enter them. Parliament is a bridge over which the hopes of ordinary people travel into the decisions of government.”
Akpabio said Nigeria’s diversity made inclusion both a national duty and a democratic necessity.
“Our many peoples, languages, cultures and faiths are sources of strength. No citizen should be a stranger in his own country, and no community should stand at the margins of our common future,” he said.
Akpabio, who is head of the Nigerian delegation to the summit, told the global parliamentary forum that, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and in collaboration with the 10th National Assembly, Nigeria was pursuing reforms aimed at widening participation and expanding opportunities.
He said expanded regional development institutions were designed to bring development closer to communities and address their needs.
Akpabio also said tax reforms were aimed at making the system fairer, easing the burden on low-income earners and small businesses, and strengthening enterprise.
He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had enabled eligible students to access interest-free financing for higher education.
“Behind this intervention stands a powerful conviction: poverty must never have the final word on a young person’s potential. The circumstances of birth must not become the boundaries of destiny,” he said.
Akpabio urged parliamentarians to renew their commitment to building institutions that listen to citizens, serve their interests and maintain public trust.
“Let us turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity.
“The smallest village must have a stake in the greatest national ambition. When every citizen can say, ‘I belong, I am heard, and my future matters,’ democracy becomes a promise fulfilled.
“That is the future Nigeria seeks. That is the future we must build together,” Akpabio said.
