Democracy Must Deliver Opportunities, Hope For Citizens – Akpabio

President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has said democracy can only thrive when it is built on trust, inclusion and equal opportunities for citizens to participate in governance and national development.

Akpabio stated this on Tuesday while addressing the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania.

In his address, titled “Inclusion, Trust and Opportunity,” the Senate president said democracy should not be measured solely by elections, just as development should not be assessed only through economic statistics.

According to him, the real measure of democratic governance is its impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

“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,” he said.

Akpabio described trust as an essential component of democratic governance, saying it must be earned through responsible governance rather than imposed through legislation or political authority.

“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,” he said.

He said the National Assembly had a responsibility to translate citizens’ concerns and aspirations into laws, policies and effective oversight.

Akpabio also described Nigeria’s diversity as a source of strength, stressing that inclusion was both a national responsibility 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.

The Senate president, who led the Nigerian delegation to the IPU Assembly, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, working with the 10th National Assembly, was pursuing reforms to broaden participation and create more economic opportunities.

He cited expanded regional development institutions and tax reforms as measures intended to bring development closer to communities, ease burdens on low-income earners and small businesses, and strengthen enterprise.

Akpabio also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the scheme was helping eligible students access higher education through interest-free financing.

“Through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, eligible students can 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,” he said.

He called on parliamentarians to strengthen institutions that listen to citizens, governments that serve them and systems that uphold public trust.

“Let us turn inclusion into participation, trust into partnership and opportunity into shared prosperity,” he said.

Akpabio added that democracy would be strengthened when citizens feel recognised, heard and confident about their future.

“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,” he said.