By OBSERVERS TIMES
Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasized that lawmakers are elected to collaborate with the executive branch, not to engage in confrontations. In an upcoming documentary commemorating two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Akpabio stated that legislators should work across party lines for the betterment of Nigeria.
“When elected into the national assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves,” he remarked. “It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria.”
Highlighting the positive rapport between the national assembly and the presidency during the past two years, Akpabio attributed it to a mutual dedication to national development. “If you spend all your energy fighting the executive, who will work for Nigeria?” he questioned.
Akpabio pointed out that this administration is unique in Nigeria’s history, as it includes a president, vice-president, and first lady who are all former senators. He reiterated the legislature’s commitment to revitalizing the economy through local production and job creation, announcing plans for legislation prioritizing the purchase of domestically produced vehicles over imports.
“We lose billions of dollars annually importing vehicles and other items that can be produced locally,” he stated, stressing the urgent need to rebuild Nigeria’s manufacturing base, which has seen significant declines in industries like textiles and cash crops.
Praising the “Nigeria First” policy of the Tinubu administration, Akpabio urged full legislative support for initiatives aimed at boosting local production. “We are going to make laws that ensure almost every item we consume that can be produced in Nigeria is produced in Nigeria,” he affirmed.
He also called for increased support for local entrepreneurs, noting that even small-scale businesses have the potential to thrive in Nigeria’s vast market.
On the topic of checks and balances, Akpabio dismissed claims that the legislature acts merely as a “rubber stamp.” “People forget that we have made enemies by rejecting some of the nominees that the president sent to us,” he explained. “It’s not everything the president brings that he takes back the same way.”
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State underscored the legislature’s role in scrutinizing and refining executive proposals for the benefit of Nigerians. “Our job is to make sure we cross the T’s and dot the I’s to assist the president in having the best for the Nigerian population,” he said, assuring citizens that more people-focused legislation is on the way.
“We have scrutinized almost every bill that the president has brought, aligning it with the Nigerian people’s realities and needs,” Akpabio concluded. “We don’t waste time on anything that will enhance the living standards of Nigerians.”
In a related statement, Akpabio announced that all political parties in Akwa Ibom have united as a single entity to support the re-election bids of President Tinubu, Governor Umo Eno, and himself.
