By George Ozalla
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has charged the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement to take the message of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to communities across the country and promote national unity, economic renewal and greater public participation in nation-building.
Akpabio gave the charge on Friday in Abuja at the formal commissioning of the movement’s campaign headquarters, where he urged members to look beyond electoral mobilisation and engage Nigerians on their concerns, expectations and aspirations.
He said the opening of the headquarters should serve as a renewed expression of faith in the Nigerian dream and a determination to build a country whose future would not be defined by its present challenges.
Addressing members of the support group, the Senate President said elections might be won at the ballot box, but lasting national progress depended on winning the confidence of the people and improving their lives.
“You have recognised a fundamental truth of democracy: elections may be won at the ballot box, but enduring national progress is built in the hearts and homes of the people,” he said.
Akpabio said President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was founded on the belief that the country’s current difficulties should not determine the future of the next generation.
He maintained that the path to national renewal required determination, sacrifice and a willingness to confront the challenges facing the country rather than surrender to them.
“The road to national renewal may be demanding, but no nation rises to greatness by surrendering to its challenges. Great nations are built by people who refuse to surrender their future to their fears,” he said.
The Senate President urged members of the movement to make their door-to-door engagements meaningful by listening to Nigerians and communicating their concerns to those in positions of authority.
He specifically called on them to listen to the mother in the marketplace, the farmer in the field, the graduate seeking employment and the young entrepreneur searching for opportunities.
According to him, the experiences and concerns gathered during the engagements should help shape future political decisions and public policies.
Akpabio stressed that leadership should be measured by its impact on the lives of citizens rather than the applause it attracts, urging the movement to make service and public engagement central to its activities.
He also called for the campaign headquarters to operate as more than a political mobilisation centre, saying it should provide room for dialogue, public engagement, national solidarity and service.
He urged the movement to keep its doors open to Nigerians regardless of ethnicity, religion, region or political affiliation, noting that the country’s aspirations must take precedence over differences that divide its people.
Akpabio warned that the difficulties confronting Nigerians should not weaken their determination to build a better country, adding that patriotism must remain above partisan political interests.
He also assured that the National Assembly remained committed to enacting laws aimed at strengthening the economy, expanding opportunities, protecting democracy and advancing the welfare of Nigerians.
The Senate President further challenged the group to build bridges across ethnic, religious and political divides, urging its members to use their engagements to promote confidence in the country’s future.
“Let us move from door to door, but above all, from heart to heart. Let us build bridges where others see barriers, inspire confidence where others spread despair, and plant the seeds of tomorrow’s prosperity in the soil of today’s sacrifice,” he said.
The campaign headquarters was commissioned by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and some state governors were also among those who attended the event.
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement was established by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
