By NEWSCOUNT Desk
President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called for greater inclusion, trust and opportunity as the foundations of democracy, saying democratic governance must give every citizen a voice and every community a place in the development of the nation.
Akpabio made the call on Tuesday while addressing the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, where he led the Nigerian delegation.
Speaking on the theme, “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity,” the Senate President, who is also Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly, said democracy should be measured by its impact on the lives of ordinary citizens rather than by elections and statistics alone.
According to him, the real measure of development is seen in the child who can attend school, the young person who can find work and the family that can face the future with confidence.
“If progress is not seen in our people, our work is not finished,” he said.
Akpabio described trust as essential to the relationship between citizens and government, saying it could only be earned through fairness, transparency and accountability.
“Every promise kept strengthens trust; every citizen heard brings government closer to the people,” he said.
He said the Nigerian National Assembly was exercising its responsibility through legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight, adding that Parliament provides a channel through which the concerns and aspirations of citizens are brought into government decisions.
Akpabio also stressed the importance of inclusion in a country as diverse as Nigeria, noting that the nation’s different peoples, languages, cultures and faiths should be regarded as 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.
The Senate President told the international parliamentary gathering that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government, working with the 10th National Assembly, was pursuing reforms aimed at widening participation and expanding opportunities.
He said the expansion of regional development institutions was intended to bring development closer to communities and respond more directly to their needs.
Akpabio also pointed to tax reforms aimed at making the tax system fairer, reducing burdens on low-income earners and small businesses, while strengthening enterprise.
He highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides interest-free financing for eligible students pursuing higher education.
He said the initiative was based on the belief that poverty should not determine the future of young Nigerians or prevent them from pursuing their potential.
Addressing his fellow parliamentarians, Akpabio urged the IPU Assembly to strengthen the commitment of parliaments and governments to serving their people.
“Let us turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity,” he said.
He added that every community, including the smallest village, should have a stake in national development, stressing that democracy is fulfilled when citizens can say they belong, their voices are heard and their future matters.
