President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called on Nigerians and their leaders to embrace steady and purposeful leadership anchored on justice, compassion, and accountability, as the Senate resumed plenary on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

In his welcome address titled “Steady Hands for a Great Nation,” Akpabio congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigerians on the nation’s 65th Independence Anniversary, describing nation-building as an unending relay.

“The flame may flicker, but it must never die,” he said, urging lawmakers to stay committed to building a just and prosperous country.

The Senate President began on a sombre note, mourning the victims of recent tragedies — including those who died in the Niger River boat accident in Kogi, worshippers killed in a Katsina mosque attack, and twelve forest guards slain in Kwara.

He also lamented the devastation caused by floods in Bayelsa, Sokoto, and Zamfara states, calling for stronger federal and state collaboration to prevent such disasters from becoming “annual calamities.”

“To every home afflicted by disasters, insecurity, hunger, and hardship, we extend the hand of fellowship and prayer of comfort. We shall not flinch from the duty of relief and redress for our people,” Akpabio said.

Balancing grief with optimism, he noted that Nigeria’s oil output — now nearing 1.8 million barrels per day — reflects renewed investor confidence. However, he warned that the gains must be prudently managed.

“We must ensure that this blessing does not become another fleeting windfall, but a foundation for fiscal discipline, infrastructure renewal, and job creation,” he cautioned.

Akpabio also drew attention to the worsening food insecurity affecting over 33 million Nigerians, urging lawmakers to take decisive legislative action in agriculture, irrigation, mechanisation, and rural infrastructure.

“Our people do not look to us for lamentations; they look to us for action,” he said, identifying terrorism, banditry, the rising cost of living, and persistent power supply challenges as pressing national concerns.

He called for bold reforms to expand the tax base, attract investment, strengthen education and healthcare systems, and create meaningful opportunities for the youth.

Reaffirming the Senate’s constitutional mandate, Akpabio pledged to maintain a firm but constructive relationship with the Executive.

“Where policies raise our people, we shall lend our strength; where they imperil them, we shall speak on their behalf,” he declared.

He emphasised transparency and accountability in governance, noting that the legislature must remain open to scrutiny while ensuring that public funds serve public interests.

“Those who seek to weaken the legislature, in truth, seek to wreck the substructure of democracy itself,” he warned.

With the 2027 election cycle approaching, Akpabio urged politicians and voters alike to prioritise integrity, competence, and service above theatrics and noise.

“Leadership is not a carnival, and governance is not a stage for theatrics. Democracy will flourish only when ballots are cast, not for the loudest voice, but for the wisest head,” he stated.

Concluding, Akpabio charged his colleagues to legislate for the present and the future, pledging that the 10th Senate would stand as “an instrument of transformation, a citadel of democracy, and a beacon of hope.”

“Let history record that in our time, we did not shirk from truth nor flinch from responsibility, but urged our people toward leaders worthy of their trust,” he said.