'I'm Going To Be A Senate President for All Nigerians, Says Akpabio

Akpabio 

Favour & Akinola Ajibade

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday (Tuesday) said that issues such as  revilitisation of the nation's economy and youth empowerment are going to top his priorities, when the 10th National Assembly begins operation.

He spoke in Abuja, after he was sworn-in as the new Senate President.

In what looks like an agenda setting for the National Assembly and the country in particular, Akpabio said that he would be a Senate President for all the elected Senators, in order to engeder the growth of the economy.

According to him, it is high time Nigeria starts producing her own fuel, urging  the country to start producing  diesel and other petroleum products. 

The  country, Akpabio said, is at a crossed road, nothing that  the country  is grambling with a lot of difficulties,by drawing the attention of senators to the fact that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited an economy in need of revival and revitalization. 

He urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to present  their budgets to the National Assembly on time, in order to ensure early passage.

The Senate, he stated, will work closely with the executives to ensure all the projects that are allocated to the legislators as constituency projects scattered across the country are backed with cash so that they can be completed on time.

According to him, “The new National Assembly has discovered its mission which is that of a renewed hope for Nigerians, revitalize the economy, working closely with the executive and would not betray the people of Nigeria.”

Government, he said, is a continuum and the Senate shall therefore strengthen the legislative space in continuation of the efforts made by the 9^th National Assembly

He stated that some of the things that would confront this national assembly would be gender matters, lamenting that there are not a lot of women in the National Assembly.

“We shall pay attention to people with disabilities and the vulnerable in the society, bringing actions that would engender empowerment to the youths, so that banditry and other criminal activities such as that of unknown gunmen, Boko Haram and others would not be attractive to them. We would pay attention to insecurity and others”

We would work closely with the executives so that Nigerians would be able to sleep with their two eyes closed, and ensure that they can travel by road, rail, and with other means of transportation to any part of the country without any hindrance.

We would expand legislations to improve the revenue streams of the country. Nigeria can generate more revenues which could enable it to cancel many of the debts it owes.

“The president has already said that Nigeria must produce and consume what its produces, we would do everything to assist him to achieve his mission in this direction for the prosperity of this great nation.”

“We shall have a seriously forward-looking senate which will tackle environmental issues and then bring about sustainable growth.”

The Senate must rise to the occasion of providing a legislative framework and enabling environment to anchor the policies and programmes the President espouses for the country.

Elections, he said, are over and for the 10th Senate, we are going to hit the ground running, he stated.

The Senate he stated would also look at what the states are doing because if the states are not doing well, there is no amount of work at the federal Government that would have meaning.

“To the Nigerian people, I say this, your dreams, aspiration and your well-being will be at the heart of everything that we do in these chambers and urge them to remain faithful.”

He said that if subsidy removal requires legislative backing, the Senate would give it to the President and commended him for the steps he has so far taken to remove it