My Welcome Address On The Resumption Of The Senate Plenary — 7th October, 2025
Opening Remarks
Distinguished colleagues, we meet again in this chamber — preserved by the mercy of Almighty God and entrusted once more with the noble charge of legislating for our Republic. I welcome you all from your recess — a period when you returned to your people, renewed your bonds, and reflected upon the grave responsibilities that attend the high office of Senator of the Federal Republic.
Celebrating Nigeria’s Independence
Before all else, let us extend our warm congratulations to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and to all Nigerians, on the celebration of our nation’s Independence Anniversary.
After we hoisted our flag of freedom 65 years ago, we are reminded that the journey of nationhood is not a sprint but a relay — one generation handing the torch of faith and sacrifice to the next. The flame may flicker, but it must never die. May the labours of our heroes past continue to inspire us to build a nation that is free, just, and prosperous.
Condolences and Solidarity with Affected Citizens
Our country has walked through both shadow and sunshine while we were away. We grieve with the families who lost their loved ones in the cruel boat tragedy on the Niger River in Kogi State, and in the bloody outrage at a mosque in Katsina.
We mourn also the twelve forest guards slain in Oke-Ode, Kwara State — martyrs of service who remind us that insecurity knows no boundaries.
We commiserate with our compatriots across the flood-ravaged states of Bayelsa, Sokoto, Zamfara and others, as the 2025 flood season continues to uproot lives and destroy livelihoods.
We urge urgent coordination between the federal and sub-national governments to mitigate these devastations before they become annual calamities. To every home afflicted by these disasters, insecurity, hunger, and hardship, we extend to them the hand of fellowship and the prayer of comfort. We promise that we shall not flinch from the duty of relief and redress for our people.
Encouraging Signs of Progress
While our hearts grieve, our hopes endure because of glimmers of progress. Nigeria’s oil production has climbed toward 1.8 million barrels per day, driven by reforms and renewed investor confidence. We must ensure this blessing becomes a foundation for fiscal discipline, infrastructure renewal, and job creation — not another fleeting windfall.
Addressing Food Security and Economic Realities
Let us also heed the cry from the farms and markets. Over 33 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity — a crisis demanding urgent legislative attention to agriculture, rural roads, irrigation, and mechanization.
Hunger cannot be defeated with words; it requires policy, budget, and will. Our people do not look to us for lamentations; they look to us for action.
Commitment to Action and Reform
The banners of terrorism and banditry still threaten the countryside. The cost of living weighs upon the family table like an iron chain. The flickering of our national grid leaves cities in darkness and commerce in paralysis.
These trials summon us to service of uncommon urgency — and to partnership with the Executive Arm, that together we rewrite the story of our nation.
We must legislate with boldness. We must press forward with reforms to steady our economy, draw investment, broaden the tax base, and nurture growth. We must strike hard at the enemies of ignorance and disease by strengthening education and healthcare.
We must give the youths of Nigeria not only hope but opportunity.
Strengthening Federalism and Accountability
We must revisit the Constitution — to make our federalism stronger, our governance more efficient, and our democracy more inclusive.
Above all, we must wield our power of oversight with vigilance, so that the people’s money is spent for the people’s good.
Our relations with the Executive shall remain frank and firm — neither obsequious nor obstructive. Where policies raise our people, we shall lend our strength; where they imperil them, we shall speak on their behalf.
We must continue to uphold the independence of this Senate, the dignity of this chamber, and the majesty of the Constitution which governs us all.
A Senate That Hears the People
To the citizens of Nigeria, we say this: we hear you. We know your expectations. You ask not for excuses but for results; not for noise but for substance.
This Senate will remain open, accountable, and responsive. We will not shrink from scrutiny — indeed, we welcome it, for accountability is the lifeblood of democracy.
But it must be clearly understood: the foundation of every democracy is its legislature. Those who seek to weaken the legislature, in truth, seek to wreck the substructure of democracy itself.
On Leadership and Elections
As we stand once more on the threshold of another election season, let us speak plainly to our constituents about the sacred duty of choice. Leadership is not a carnival, and governance is not a stage for theatrics.
Let no one mistake the nation’s destiny for a costume drama, nor confuse applause with achievement. Whether in party primaries or general elections, let us not lay quality upon the altar of spectacle, nor exchange wisdom for noise, nor experience for glitter.
If our politics must be mended, let it begin with the courage to choose men and women of integrity, tested virtue, proven competence, and sincere devotion to service.
Democracy will only flourish when ballots are cast not for the loudest voice, but for the wisest head; not for those who seek office as an ornament, but for those who see it as a burden of duty.
A Call to Duty and Legacy
Distinguished colleagues, let history record that in our time, we did not shirk from truth, nor flinch from responsibility, but urged our people toward leaders worthy of their trust.
Let us resume our work with fresh vigour and steadfast resolve. Let us legislate not only for the Nigeria of today but for the generations whose faces we shall never see.
Let this Senate be remembered as an instrument of national transformation, a citadel of democracy, and a beacon of hope.
Closing
Distinguished Senators, welcome back.
May God prosper our labour, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
