Democracy, in the eyes of Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, must be more than the periodic ritual of elections. It must be a living promise of inclusion, trust and opportunity, one that reaches the child in the classroom, the young person searching for work and the family seeking confidence in tomorrow, writes Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka Our Managing Editor.
Akpabio made this case on Tuesday while addressing the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, where he led the Nigerian delegation and spoke on the theme, “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity.”
For the President of the Nigerian Senate and Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly, the true strength of democracy is ultimately measured not by impressive statistics or political declarations, but by the quality of life experienced by ordinary citizens.
“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,” Akpabio told the gathering of parliamentarians from around the world.
His message carried a simple but profound proposition: democracy cannot be considered successful if its benefits remain distant from the people it is designed to serve.
Beyond Elections, Beyond Statistics
Akpabio argued that, for Nigeria, democracy means considerably more than conducting elections, just as development means more than presenting impressive economic statistics.
He placed the individual citizen at the centre of both democratic governance and national development.
“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,” he said.
“If progress is not seen in our people, our work is not finished.”
That assertion captures the difficult test confronting democratic governments everywhere: whether policies and institutions can translate political participation into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
For Akpabio, democracy must therefore be judged by the opportunities it creates and the confidence it inspires among citizens, particularly those who are often furthest from the centres of power.
Trust: The Currency of Democracy
Central to Akpabio’s address was the issue of trust, which he described as the “invisible currency of democracy.”
According to him, trust cannot be imposed on citizens through legislation or political authority.
“We cannot command it, demand it or legislate it into existence. We earn it through fairness, transparency and accountability,” he said.
Every promise kept, he noted, strengthens public confidence, while every citizen whose voice is heard brings government closer to the people.
This, he said, is part of the responsibility of the Nigerian National Assembly through its core constitutional functions of legislation, representation, appropriation and oversight.
“Parliament is a bridge over which the hopes of ordinary people travel into the decisions of government,” Akpabio declared.
The statement reflects his broader vision of Parliament as an institution that should not merely make laws, but serve as a channel through which the concerns, aspirations and frustrations of citizens enter the machinery of government.
Diversity as a Democratic Asset
Akpabio also linked inclusion to Nigeria’s enormous diversity, describing the country’s many peoples, languages, cultures and faiths as sources of national strength rather than division.
He stressed that diversity makes inclusion not only desirable but a national duty and democratic necessity.
“No citizen should be a stranger in his own country, and no community should stand at the margins of our common future,” he told the international parliamentary gathering.
The statement is particularly significant for a country as diverse as Nigeria, where questions of equitable representation, regional development and access to national opportunities have remained central to public discourse. For Akpabio, inclusion means ensuring that every part of the country has a meaningful stake in the national project.
Tinubu Reforms and the Question of Opportunity
Presenting Nigeria’s current reform direction to the global parliamentary community, Akpabio said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, working with the 10th National Assembly, is pursuing measures designed to widen participation and expand opportunities for Nigerians.
He cited expanded regional development institutions as part of efforts to bring development closer to communities and respond more directly to their needs.
He also pointed to ongoing tax reforms, which he said were designed to make the tax system fairer, reduce burdens on low-income earners and small businesses, and strengthen enterprise.
Another intervention highlighted by the Senate President was the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
Akpabio said eligible students could access interest-free financing for higher education under the scheme, describing it as an intervention rooted in the conviction that poverty should not determine the limits of a young person’s future.
“The circumstances of birth must not become the boundaries of destiny,” he declared.
That statement placed education firmly within the broader democratic question of opportunity. For Akpabio, giving young Nigerians access to higher education is not merely a social policy; it is part of creating a society where one’s future is not predetermined by one’s economic background.
A Challenge to Parliaments
Akpabio’s address ultimately moved beyond Nigeria’s domestic experience to challenge parliaments and governments across the world to renew their commitment to citizens. He called for Parliaments that listen, governments that serve and institutions that remain faithful to the people they represent.
His appeal was for inclusion to move from rhetoric to participation, trust to partnership, and opportunity to shared prosperity.
“The smallest village must have a stake in the greatest national ambition,” he said.
That vision places the most remote and disadvantaged citizen at the centre of national development—rather than treating inclusion as a favour extended by those in power.
Akpabio concluded with an image of democracy as a promise that becomes real when citizens can confidently declare that they belong, that their voices matter and that their future counts.
“When every citizen can say, ‘I belong, I am heard, and my future matters,’ democracy becomes a promise fulfilled.” For Nigeria, he said, that is the future the country seeks.
And for the wider parliamentary community gathered in Arusha, his message was equally clear: democracy will remain fragile wherever citizens feel excluded, institutions lose public trust and opportunity is reserved for a few.
The task, therefore, is not simply to preserve democracy as a system of government, but to make it meaningful in the everyday lives of the people it exists to serve.
