RETURNED TO DUTY, UNITED FOR NIGERIA

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, DISTINGUISHED SENATOR GODSWILL OBOT AKPABIO, GCON, AT THE RESUMPTION OF THE SENATE FROM RECESS ON TUESDAY, 7 JULY 2026
PROTOCOLS
It is with gratitude to Almighty God and abiding confidence in our nation that I warmly welcome you back from our legislative recess.

Every return to this Chamber is more than a constitutional ritual. It is a renewed call to duty, when the voices of over 200 million Nigerians converge in this hallowed Chamber through those they elected to speak for them.
Our recess was never an intermission from national service. Parliament may adjourn, but democracy never sleeps. We returned to our constituencies, listened to our people, participated in the democratic process, and witnessed once again the resilience of the Nigerian spirit and the enduring faith of our people in democracy.
But while in our constituencies, Nigeria summoned us from recess, and we answered. Our response affirmed that patriotism is a sacred obligation we owe Nigeria. Great legislatures are not remembered because they met according to schedule; they are remembered because they rose above schedules whenever the nation demanded it. Patriotism chooses duty over personal convenience.
While we were in recess, democracy continued its patient work. Primary elections and other political processes unfolded across our nation. Naturally, some celebrated while others were disappointed. Such is the nature of democracy. Yet beyond every victory and defeat stood a greater triumph—the triumph of constitutional order. History teaches that nations rarely collapse because they hold elections, but because they refuse to respect them. Democracy endures when the nation is valued above victory and ambition bows to the Constitution.
Yet while democracy advanced, the challenges confronting our nation did not go into recess. Insecurity continues to cast long shadows across our country. Many families remain prisoners of fear. Most painful among these tragedies is the continued captivity of the schoolchildren abducted in Ondo State and the many other Nigerians still in the hands of terrorists.
To their families, we send more than sympathy; we send solidarity. We cannot pretend to know the weight of your sleepless nights. Yet we want you to know that we remember you. We carry your pain into our deliberations. Your suffering is our nation’s suffering.
For as long as one Nigerian remains in captivity, all Nigerians share in that captivity. We reaffirm our confidence that the Armed Forces, the Police, our intelligence agencies, and every security institution are working relentlessly to secure the release of these innocent Nigerians. We urge them to sustain the pressure until every captive returns home and every criminal is brought to justice.
We shall continue to support every lawful effort that strengthens our national security architecture because peace is the first infrastructure of development. Roads cannot flourish where fear governs the highways. Investors cannot build where kidnappers build camps. Farmers cannot feed a nation while fleeing their farms. Children cannot prepare for tomorrow when they are afraid to attend school today. Therefore, every appropriation for security and every law that protects lives is an investment in Nigeria’s future.
It is precisely because these challenges endure that Nigerians look to this Senate with hope. They expect us to legislate with wisdom, oversee with diligence, and act with courage. They expect this Senate to remain the vigilant guardian of the public trust. They expect laws that stimulate enterprise, protect the vulnerable, strengthen education, modernise healthcare, expand opportunities for our youth, and preserve the dignity of labour. They expect oversight that is fearless without being hostile, constructive without being complacent, and firm without partisanship.
Meeting those expectations requires more than good intentions; it requires uncommon patriotism. History’s great nations were built by courageous lawmakers whose legislation became the bricks of national progress. Let that be our legacy.
Let us continue to embrace the politics of nation-building. Let us debate without diminishing one another and criticise policies without questioning patriotism. Democracy insists that though we may not always see eye to eye, we must always stand shoulder to shoulder. We are not merely making laws for today; we are shaping the destiny of generations yet unborn.
The Roman statesman Cicero declared that the welfare of the people is the highest law. Our Constitution echoes that timeless truth by making the security and welfare of the people the primary purpose of government. Let that constitutional command guide every committee meeting, oversight visit, motion, amendment, debate, and vote in this Chamber.
If we remain faithful to that constitutional command, this legislative season will be remembered as a season of higher purpose. A season when patriots united under one flag and rose above partisan calculations to reflect the nobility of national service.
May Almighty God grant us wisdom equal to our responsibilities, courage equal to our challenges, compassion equal to the suffering of our people, and strength equal to the hopes of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
May God bless the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May God bless our Armed Forces and all our security agencies. May God comfort every grieving family, restore every Nigerian still in captivity, and continue to bless and preserve the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I thank you.