By Olugbenga Salami
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday charged the Armed Forces, Police and intelligence agencies to sustain pressure until all Nigerians in terrorist captivity are released.
Akpabio gave the charge in his welcome address as the Senate resumed plenary after recess, pointing out that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Ondo State and other Nigerians still held by terrorists as the nation’s most painful burden.
“To their families, we send more than sympathy; we send solidarity. We cannot pretend to know the weight of your sleepless nights. Yet we want you to know that we remember you. We carry your pain into our deliberations. Your suffering is our nation’s suffering.
“For as long as one Nigerian remains in captivity, all Nigerians share in that captivity. We reaffirm our confidence that the Armed Forces, the Police, our intelligence agencies, and every security institution are working relentlessly to secure the release of these innocent Nigerians. We urge them to sustain the pressure until every captive returns home and every criminal is brought to justice,” he said.
The Senate President described peace as “the first infrastructure of development,” warning that roads, investment, farming and education cannot thrive where fear persists.
“Roads cannot flourish where fear governs the highways. Investors cannot build where kidnappers build camps. Farmers cannot feed a nation while fleeing their farms.
“Children cannot prepare for tomorrow when they are afraid to attend school today. Therefore, every appropriation for security and every law that protects lives is an investment in Nigeria’s future,” Akpabio stated.
He pledged that the Senate will continue to support every lawful effort that strengthens the national security architecture.
Akpabio also told senators that their return was “a renewed call to duty,” saying patriotism is a sacred obligation owed to Nigeria.
“Great legislatures are not remembered because they met according to schedule; they are remembered because they rose above schedules whenever the nation demanded it. Patriotism chooses duty over personal convenience,” he said.
On democracy, he noted that primary elections held during the recess tested the nation’s constitutional order. “History teaches that nations rarely collapse because they hold elections, but because they refuse to respect them. Democracy endures when the nation is valued above victory and ambition bows to the Constitution.”
Akpabio urged the 10th Senate to legislate with wisdom and oversee with diligence, focusing on laws that stimulate enterprise, protect the vulnerable, strengthen education and healthcare, and expand opportunities for youth.
