President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has sought solidarity and action among nations of the Global South at the Third South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum in Rabat, Morocco.
 
Addressing lawmakers, diplomats and development leaders on the theme, “Inter-regional and Continental Dialogues in the Countries of the South as a Fundamental Lever to Address the Emerging Challenges of International Cooperation and Achieve Peace, Security, Stability and Common Development,” the two-term former governor of Akwa Ibom State warned that the time for speeches had passed, and the time for decisive unity was here.
 
“We gather not merely to speak,” adding: “but to arm ourselves with ideas, policies, and with the unbreakable force of unity.” Against rising global instability, economic turbulence and environmental crises, the number three citizen urged South countries to shed the medieval division and hesitation.

Drawing on the memory of liberation struggles that reshaped continents, Akpabio called for same determined spirit to forge a new destiny – one not dictated by old powers – but built by the hands of the South itself.
 
“No fortress of difficulty – economic, political, or social – can resist the assault of nations united in purpose and vision,” Akpabio proclaimed. Hailing Morocco as a bridge between continents and traditions, the Senate President lauded the host nation for offering not just hospitality, but a “platform from which we may move the great levers of history.”
 
Akpabio emphasised that Nigeria stands firmly committed to the ideals of regional integration and cooperation, citing the roles of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as critical pillars.

True prosperity, he stressed, would not be achieved in isolation, but through alliances anchored on trust, strategy, and shared ambition. Citing an African proverb – “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” – Akpabio framed the Global South’s choice starkly: fleeting success alone or enduring triumph together.
 
He challenged the forum to ensure that Rabat 2025 would not be remembered as another summit of lost promises, but as a defining moment when the South chose to stand together, act together, and build together.

“Let it be said,” he thundered, noting: “When history demanded courage, we answered with unity; when the world doubted, we defied; and when our future called, we marched together, unstoppable and unbroken.”
 
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Speaker of the House of Councillors of Morocco and Chairman of ASSECAA, Mohamed Ould Errachid, echoed the same spirit of urgency, urging Southern nations to take charge of their destiny and forge new pathways of peace, prosperity and dignity.