By SALIF ATOJOKO

Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate, says lawmakers were not elected to engage in confrontation with the Executive but to foster policies that promote national development.

Akpabio said this in an upcoming documentary to mark two years of the Bola Tinubu administration, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Akpabio was reflecting on the importance of cooperation between the National Assembly and the Executive.

He said: “When elected into the National Assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves.

“It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria.”

The President of the Senate emphasised that the relationship between both arms of government had been cordial over the past two years, owing to a shared vision for the country’s progress.

“If you spend all your energy fighting the Executive, who will work for Nigeria?” he asked.

He added that the current administration was unique in Nigeria’s history, with a President, First Lady, and Vice President, all former senators.

Highlighting legislative priorities, Akpabio said the National Assembly was working on a bill mandating Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise procuring locally assembled vehicles over imported alternatives.

“We have started the bill for enacting legislation to enable us first purchase automobiles from Nigerian companies before thinking of importing them,” he said.

“We lose billions of dollars annually importing vehicles and other items that can be produced locally,” he said.

Akpabio underscored the urgent need to revive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, citing the collapse of the textiles industry and cash crops, such as cotton, groundnut and palm oil, which were once the bedrock of the economy.

“Over 50 textile companies have left Nigeria. The cotton industry collapsed. The groundnut industry collapsed. The palm oil industry collapsed. Look at countries like Malaysia that have leveraged palm oil to boost their economies,” he lamented.

Akpabio praised the “Nigeria First” policy championed by the Tinubu administration, describing it as a “fantastic” initiative that deserved legislative backing.

He said discussions were ongoing with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council to promote laws ensuring Nigeria produced most of what it consumed.

“We are going to make laws and produce bills that ensure almost every item we consume that can be produced in Nigeria is produced in Nigeria.

“Taking Nigeria first means bringing industries back to the country to serve our population of over 200 million,” he said.

Akpabio called for more support for local entrepreneurs, noting that even small-scale production ventures such as vinegar or bread could thrive in Nigeria’s vast consumer market.

“Even if you produce vinegar and bag it well, it will fly. If you produce bread, you will be a millionaire considering the kind of population that we have,” he stated.

He promised that the National Assembly would pass the necessary legal instruments to sustain this industrial renaissance and reduce the country’s import dependence.

Regarding checks and balances, Akpabio refuted claims that the legislature was merely rubber-stamping executive decisions.

He noted that the National Assembly had occasionally rejected presidential nominees when necessary.

“People forget that we have made enemies by rejecting some of the nominees that the President sent to us. It’s not everything the President brings that he takes back the same way,” he said.

Akpabio maintained that the Assembly’s role was to scrutinise, amend, and support executive actions that aligned with national interest.

“Our job is to make sure we cross the T’s and dot the I’s to assist the President in having the best for the Nigerian population,” said Akpabio.

He assured Nigerians that the 10th National Assembly would continue prioritising pro-people legislation supporting the President’s bold reform agenda.

“This government is not a government of theory; it’s a government of action. So, for us in the National Assembly, we are very focused on pro-people legislation,” Akpabio stated.

He cited several landmark legislative interventions that aligned with the administration’s reforms, including the Student Loan Act (NELFUND), Tax reform bills and the Minimum Wage Bill.

“We have done quite a lot in just two years. I assure Nigerians that more people-focused laws are coming: laws that will reduce hardship, open the economy, and empower young people.

“From the perspective of the National Assembly, we have scrutinised almost every bill that the President has brought. We have aligned it with the Nigerian people’s realities and needs and supported it by ensuring they are speedily passed.

“We don’t waste time on anything that will enhance the living standard of Nigerians,” he said. (NAN)