President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has stressed the importance of inclusion, trust and opportunity as the foundations of democracy.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday in his address at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania.
Akpabio, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly, said inclusion, trust and opportunity “are the foundations of a democracy that gives every citizen a voice, every community a place and every generation a reason to hope.”
In his address titled, “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity,” Akpabio said democracy meant more than elections, while development meant more than impressive statistics.
He said, “their true measure is the child who can attend school, the young person who can find work, and the family that can face tomorrow with confidence. If progress is not seen in our people, our work is not finished.
“Trust is the invisible currency of democracy. We cannot command it, demand it or legislate it into existence. We earn it through fairness, transparency and accountability. Every promise kept strengthens trust; every citizen heard brings government closer to the people.
“The Nigerian National Assembly embraces this responsibility through legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight. Our chambers hear the voices of those who may never enter them. Parliament is a bridge over which the hopes of ordinary people travel into the decisions of government.”
Akpabio further said Nigeria’s diversity made inclusion a national duty and a democratic necessity.
“Our many peoples, languages, cultures and faiths are sources of strength. No citizen should be a stranger in his own country, and no community should stand at the margins of our common future,” he said.
Akpabio, who is leading the Nigerian delegation to the summit, told the global parliamentary forum that under President Bola Tinubu, working with the 10th National Assembly, Nigeria is pursuing reforms to widen participation and opportunity.
He said expanded regional development institutions sought to bring development closer to communities and address their needs.
Akpabio also said tax reforms were aimed at making the system fairer, easing burdens on low-income earners and small businesses, and strengthening enterprise.
He said through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, eligible students could access interest-free financing for higher education.
“Behind this intervention stands a powerful conviction: poverty must never have the final word on a young person’s potential. The circumstances of birth must not become the boundaries of destiny.
“Distinguished colleagues, let this Assembly renew our resolve to build Parliaments that listen, governments that serve and institutions that keep faith with their people.
“Let us turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity.
“The smallest village must have a stake in the greatest national ambition. When every citizen can say, ‘I belong, I am heard, and my future matters,’ democracy becomes a promise fulfilled.
“That is the future Nigeria seeks. That is the future we must build together. I thank you,” Akpabio said.
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