By George Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, Tuesday welcomed Senators back from recess with a charge to keep faith with Nigeria amid insecurity, floods, hardship and the build-up to the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n
Delivering his welcome address titled *”KEEPING FAITH WITH NIGERIA”* on resumption of plenary on September 29, 2026, Akpabio said while the sittings of the Senate ceased on July 23, the life of Nigeria did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we adjourned on 23 July, the sittings of the Senate ceased for a season. The life of Nigeria did not. In our villages and towns, in our markets and on our farms, our people went on working, raising their children, pursuing their hopes and facing their fears,\u201d Akpabio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere, beyond these walls, the matches are played and the goals must be scored. This Chamber is our training ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Akpabio said during the recess, families waited in anguish for loved ones taken by armed men in Marisa, at Dekera Mosque and elsewhere, while communities lived beneath the shadow of violence and floods swept away homes and labour.<\/p>\n
He offered sympathy but said sympathy alone cannot discharge the Senate\u2019s duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo those who mourn, to those who wait and to those who have been driven from their homes, we offer our sympathy. But sympathy alone cannot discharge our duty. They are entitled to our attention, our resolve and the full force of our constitutional responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo long as a single Nigerian languishes in captivity, a part of Nigeria is held captive; and this Chamber cannot call itself free of the burden,\u201d Akpabio declared.<\/p>\n
He called on security agencies to pursue rescue of captives and protection of vulnerable communities with renewed vigour, pledging that the Senate will examine through legislation, appropriation and oversight what more must be done to end what he called \u201cinfernal assaults upon our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot summon citizens to courage and then leave them to face danger alone. Their safety is a charge laid upon every institution of government, including this Senate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On flooding, Akpabio warned that warning must lead to preparation, preparation to protection, and relief must reach those for whom it is intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a farmer loses a harvest, our country loses food it can ill afford to spare. When a family loses its home, the nation has a stake in helping that family rise again,\u201d he said, thanking emergency responders and urging all levels of government to act in time.<\/p>\n
On the economy, the Senate President said many Nigerians continue to bear heavy cost of living and the Senate must examine figures, forecasts and reforms with care, but never forget how economy is felt outside the chamber.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will judge our efforts by what changes in their lives. We must hear their concerns and answer with work that yields results,\u201d he said, referencing the mother counting cost of a meal, the graduate searching for work and small business owners.<\/p>\n
On politics, Akpabio noted that campaigns for the 2027 general elections have begun and parties have chosen candidates.<\/p>\n
He called for vigorous, open contest devoid of violence and division.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the candidates speak with conviction. Let the contest be vigorous; let it be open; and let every participant remember the country that must live together when the contest is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who seek office need not see eye to eye in order to walk hand in hand as Nigerians. We can contend without setting community against community, faith against faith or one part of our Republic against another.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must reject violence and intimidation, and resist the falsehoods that travel swiftly and leave distrust in their wake. No electoral prize is worth a Nigerian life. No victory deserves celebration if it leaves the nation wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Senate, comprising men and women of different parties, regions and convictions, must show the way by disagreeing with dignity and fulfilling duties throughout campaign season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people sent us here to serve until the end of our mandate. There is work before us, and we shall remain at our posts in spite of the campaigns,\u201d Akpabio said.<\/p>\n
Also reflecting on Nigeria\u2019s 66th Independence Anniversary on October 1st, Akpabio said the nation will honour those who believed Nigeria could govern itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe honour them most faithfully when we guard the freedom they helped secure and use it to enlarge the prospects of those who come after us. Patriotism requires clear eyes and a steadfast heart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He charged Senators to return to duties with steady hands, work for safety of people, strength of institutions and better chance for every child of the Republic.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us campaign with honour, debate with conviction and serve with humility. We have returned to this Chamber because Nigeria\u2019s work continues. By God\u2019s grace, we shall keep faith with her, and with the people who sent us here,\u201d Akpabio said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, Tuesday welcomed Senators back from recess with a charge to keep faith with Nigeria amid insecurity, floods, hardship and the build-up to the 2027 general elections. Delivering his welcome address titled *”KEEPING FAITH WITH NIGERIA”* on resumption of plenary on September 29, 2026, Akpabio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18086"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18087,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18086\/revisions\/18087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}