The National Assembly has pledged to accelerate support for President Bola Tinubu in strengthening national security and advancing key economic reforms, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said.
Mr Akpabio disclosed this on Thursday after leading principal officers of the Senate on a traditional Sallah homage to the President at his Lagos residence.
“He cannot do it alone. The National Assembly will assist him to ensure we improve in the area of security,” Mr Akpabio said, adding that the situation had already shown marked improvement.
He noted that current security threats were largely targeted attacks on soft targets such as schools, churches, and mosques, contrasting with previous periods marked by widespread insurgent occupation and bomb attacks.
“There is no part of Nigeria today where the flag of any insurgent group, whether Boko Haram, is being hoisted. All those organised bomb blasts have been brought to an end,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Senate President acknowledged that more work remained, particularly in securing vulnerable communities and border areas.
“We believe that working with him, the National Assembly can come up with a solution and framework that will enable states to also partake in securing lives and property – and that is in the area of state police,” he stated.
Mr Akpabio revealed that lawmakers were exploring a regulated state policing system under a national framework. “We are looking at ways of creating a positive, not negative, state police – something that can have a national state police commission to regulate conduct, promotions, and training.”
He added that citizens also had a responsibility to support security agencies by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activities.
On the economy, Mr Akpabio commended the President’s reforms, saying they had repositioned Nigeria on a path of growth and stability. “We came to appreciate Mr President for his reforms, which have done a great deal to reposition Nigeria on the trajectory of growth.”
He said the administration inherited serious challenges, including multiple exchange rates, fuel subsidy payments, and unsustainable borrowing practices. “We met multiple exchange rates. He has stopped all that. We met a situation of fuel subsidies. He has stopped all that,” Mr Akpabio stated.
He also praised the administration for ending persistent fuel queues and harmonising tax systems nationwide.
The Senate President highlighted major infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road corridor as transformative initiatives. “The Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road has about 74 dams that will revolutionise the agricultural sector,” he said.
Mr Akpabio further disclosed that the National Assembly was considering increasing statutory funding for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund from 0.5 per cent to one per cent of federation revenue allocation to strengthen police infrastructure and equipment.
He said the delegation also used the visit to pray for the President, for peace in the country, and for the safe release of Nigerians still in captivity.
