Akpabio to World Parliaments: Rise as guardians of peace, justice, humanity
• Fed Govt pushes skills, education reforms Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged parliaments across the world to live up to their responsibility as defenders of peace, justice, and humanity.
• Fed Govt pushes skills, education reforms
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged parliaments across the world to live up to their responsibility as defenders of peace, justice, and humanity.
He noted that growing global conflicts demand urgent, collective action.
Akpabio said this while addressing delegates at the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), where he stressed the critical role of legislatures in fostering stability and safeguarding democratic values.
Speaking on the theme: “Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations,” the Senate President said the gathering was taking place amid mounting global tensions, with conflicts spreading across regions and testing the resilience of nations and institutions.
“I bring you warm greetings from the resilient people of Nigeria — a nation that has learnt that peace is not inherited; it is built, defended, and sustained,” he said.
Drawing from Nigeria’s experience in conflict resolution and nation-building, Akpabio described parliaments as “the first hope of the masses” and “the conscience of the people”.
The Senate President stressed that legislators must take the lead in promoting peace and justice.
He warned that no part of the world is immune to instability, citing conflicts across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
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Akpabio called for a decisive shift in global priorities, saying: “It is time to turn from destruction to construction and redirect the instruments of war toward the work of development.” Highlighting the human cost of war, the Senate President noted that beyond casualty figures are shattered families and devastated communities.
He urged the international community to reject a system where power overrides justice.
“This is not merely a crisis of security; it is a crisis of leadership. Might must not be mistaken for right, and weakness must never justify injustice,” he added.
Quoting civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., Akpabio reminded delegates of humanity’s shared destiny and called for collective global action to secure a more peaceful future.
The Senate President also challenged the IPU to play a more decisive role in strengthening global institutions, particularly the United Nations (UN), and in amplifying the voices of vulnerable nations in the international system.
In his closing remarks, Akpabio called for a renewed global commitment to peace and justice.
“Let this moment mark a turning point—a covenant not just with our people, but with posterity,” he said.
Th Senate President reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate with the international community in building a world anchored on hope, peace, and justice.
IPU President Tulia Ackson urged member-parliaments to uphold democratic principles, strengthen international solidarity and act decisively in tackling rising global conflicts and inequalities.
Ackson said the world looks up to legislatures not only for lawmaking but for leadership and moral clarity.
He urged parliamentarians to rise to the challenges of the times.
The IPU, a global organisation of national parliaments, promotes peace, democracy and sustainable development through dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy.
