Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the National Assembly must serve as the bridge through which the hopes and aspirations of ordinary Nigerians translate into government decisions, stressing that democracy must deliver inclusion, trust and opportunity to citizens.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while addressing the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Senate President, who is also Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly and leader of the Nigerian delegation, said inclusion, trust and opportunity were the foundations of a democracy that gives citizens a voice, communities a place and future generations a reason to hope.
He said democracy should be judged by more than elections, while development should be measured by more than economic statistics.
According to Akpabio, the real measure of progress is whether children can attend school, young people can find work and families can face the future with confidence.
“If progress is not seen in our people, our work is not finished,” he said.
He described trust as the “invisible currency” of democracy, saying governments and institutions earn it through fairness, transparency and accountability.
“Every promise kept strengthens trust; every citizen heard brings government closer to the people,” he said.
Akpabio said the National Assembly was embracing that responsibility through legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight.
“Our chambers hear the voices of those who may never enter them. Parliament is a bridge over which the hopes of ordinary people travel into the decisions of government,” he said.
He also linked inclusion to Nigeria’s diversity, saying the country’s different peoples, languages, cultures and faiths should be treated 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.
Akpabio told the international parliamentary gathering that the administration of President Bola Tinubu, working with the 10th National Assembly, was pursuing reforms aimed at widening participation and expanding opportunities.
He cited regional development institutions, tax reforms and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as examples of measures intended to bring development closer to communities, ease burdens on citizens and expand access to higher education.
The 153rd IPU Assembly is being held from October 5 to 9 under the theme, “Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all.” The General Debate is focused on how parliaments can advance good governance and community empowerment.
The Assembly is also considering parliamentary strategies to promote the rights and empowerment of people living with disabilities, while the IPU Governing Council is scheduled to elect a new president.
Akpabio urged lawmakers to build parliaments that listen, governments that serve and institutions that maintain citizens’ trust.
He called on delegates to turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity, saying every community should have a stake in its country’s future.
