..“The people are watching, the world is watching, our constituents are watching,” he says

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has called on his colleagues to take urgent legislative action to address the rising cost of living, energy sector instability, and ongoing security challenges across Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday at the resumption of Senate plenary following the Easter and Eid-el-Fitr recess, Akpabio stated that the state of the economy continues to test the patience and resilience of Nigerians. He urged the Senate to approach the current session with renewed purpose and a commitment to deliver meaningful change.

“Insecurity, energy instability, and rising costs are not just issues demanding attention—they demand legislative action,” Akpabio said. “The people are watching. The world is watching. Our constituents are watching. And history—silent but unsleeping—is watching.”

He emphasized the significance of the just-concluded religious holidays as moments for reflection, describing them as moral and national metaphors that call for sacrifice, discipline, unity, and the courage to rise from adversity.

“These sacred seasons—Christianity’s celebration of resurrection and Islam’s culmination of fasting and charity—must guide the work we do here. Let them speak through our debates and shine in the quality of the laws we make,” he said.

Akpabio highlighted the persistent security concerns in several regions: terrorism and criminality in the South-East and North-West; farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central; and unresolved environmental and equity issues in the South-South.

“These are not just headlines—they are the bleeding wounds of our republic. Our people look to us, not for rhetoric, but for rescue,” he said.

He further addressed national conversations around electoral and judicial reforms, calling them “the heartbeat of our democratic future.”

Akpabio urged the lawmakers to act with integrity and patriotism, noting that the Senate would be considering critical bills related to national security, economic stability, education, technology, and youth empowerment in the coming months.

“Let every vote we cast, every motion we raise, and every oversight we conduct bear the fingerprints of integrity and patriotism,” he charged.

“To the Nigerian people, I say this: Your Senate is back at work. We have not forgotten your hopes, your hardships, or your hunger for change. We are here—refreshed in spirit, renewed in resolve—to build a nation where peace is not an illusion and progress is not a promise, but a pattern.”