NIGERIA, ABUJA – The Senate resumed plenary on Tuesday with a passionate call by Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, for urgent legislative action to tackle Nigeria’s growing insecurity and food crisis despite rising oil production.
Akpabio, speaking during his welcome address at the National Assembly in Abuja, warned that while oil output has climbed to 1.8 million barrels per day, Nigerians continue to battle hunger and fear for their lives.
He said the nation’s renewed oil gains must not become “another fleeting windfall” but serve as a foundation for job creation, infrastructure, and fiscal discipline.
According to him, reforms in the oil sector have restored investor confidence, but their benefits must reach ordinary citizens.
“Our people cannot eat barrels of crude,” Akpabio said, emphasizing that prosperity built on oil without food security is a mirage. “Hunger cannot be defeated with words; it requires policy, budget, and will.”
The Senate President lamented that over 33 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, urging legislators to prioritize agriculture, rural road development, and irrigation to boost productivity. He described food insecurity as both “a moral and national emergency.”
Akpabio also expressed grief over recent tragedies, including the boat mishap in Kogi and the killings in Katsina and Kwara, describing them as evidence that “insecurity knows no boundaries.”
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He called for stronger coordination between federal and state governments to mitigate floods and other disasters ravaging farmlands across the country. “We must not allow floods and insecurity to become annual calamities,” he warned.
On governance, Akpabio reaffirmed that the Senate will maintain “frank and firm” relations with the Executive, supporting people-centered policies while resisting those that imperil citizens’ welfare.
Truth Live News reports that he urged Nigerians to elect leaders of integrity ahead of the next election season, saying democracy thrives when “ballots are cast for the wisest heads, not the loudest voices.”
Akpabio concluded that the Senate must legislate with urgency, courage, and compassion, ensuring that Nigeria’s resources, especially oil wealth translate into security, food sufficiency, and hope for every citizen.