Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has called on his colleagues to ignore critics who have described the 10th National Assembly as a rubber stamp.
Akpabio, in his welcome address at a joint session of the National Assembly to host President Bola Tinubu, said the critics did not know the workings of the parliament.
While lauding the president for his achievements in two years, Akpabio noted that those who had been criticising the federal lawmakers had no idea of why they are in the parliament. “We should ignore the critics who tag us a rubber stamp. They don’t know why we are here.”
He called on President Tinubu to establish a national museum dedicated to the preservation of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle, saying it is time the country institutionalised the memory of June 12.
“I respectfully urge Mr. President to consider the establishment of a June 12 museum, a living archive where the stories, artefacts, struggles and sacrifices of the democratic movement will be housed.”
He declared that Tinubu’s presence in the legislature, 26 years after Nigeria’s return to democracy, was nothing short of providence.
“Mr. President, a veteran of the trenches, a symbol of democratic resistance, and a beneficiary of the people’s trust, now stands before us to speak from the parliament of the people,” Akpabio said in the address titled “June 12: The Fire That Forged a Nation.”
Drawing a direct line from the June 12, 1993 annulled election to Nigeria’s present democratic dispensation, Akpabio described that day as the true beginning of Nigeria’s national awakening. “Nigeria did not just lose an election; she lost her innocence,” he said. “The people rose. Angry students marched. Journalists spoke. Mothers wailed. Workers downed tools. Fathers stood before tanks.”
He credited Tinubu’s role in sustaining the resistance through the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), saying, “While others chose silence or compromise, you chose courage.
“Many, including Your Excellency, stood tall in those days of darkness. At great personal cost, NADECO helped sustain the flame of liberty when it was most at risk of going out,” he said.
Akpabio said the country owed it to those who died fighting for democracy to ensure that their sacrifices are never forgotten. He described the proposed museum as a tool for national education and remembrance: “Nations that forget their past lose the moral compass for their future.”
The Senate President also highlighted the achievements of the Tinubu administration over the past year, particularly in economic reforms and institution-building.
“From unifying the foreign exchange market, to local government autonomy, to removing fuel subsidies, to tax reforms, this administration has not shied away from the hard decisions required to stabilise and grow our economy,” he said.
He praised Tinubu’s boldness, vision and unwavering belief in Nigeria’s future, adding that the reforms were already restoring investors’ confidence and laying the groundwork for long-term prosperity.
He also celebrated the performance of the 10th National Assembly, which marks its second anniversary on June 13. He disclosed that a record 844 bills had been introduced, with 96 passed and 52 already assented to by the President.
“These bills include the national education fund, local government autonomy bill, regional development commissions, tax reforms and reforms in tertiary education and agriculture,” he said.
He noted that the legislature had acted on 26 executive bills and received 80 citizen petitions, 18 of which had been fully adopted, an indication of growing public trust in the Senate.
He emphasised the need for continued collaboration between the executive and legislative branches of government, citing examples from the United States, Ghana, Rwanda and South Africa.
“History teaches us that nations make the greatest progress when the executive governs with vision and the legislature guides with wisdom. But they prosper most when both walk hand-in-hand, not as rivals, but as co-stewards of national trust,” he said.
He called on the citizens to protect and nurture democracy daily, beyond election cycles.
“To the youth, you must not treat democracy with apathy. To civil society, you must not let memory fade. To the media, we must be held accountable through responsible journalism. And to every Nigerian, democracy must not be reduced to election days.
“May we never again betray the hope that was once betrayed and may we never lose the freedom that was once denied.”