Otobong Nsekpong

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Ekong Sampson Ph.D, has reaffirmed his commitment to building the capacity of his constituents as their representative.

Senator Ekong Sampson who represents Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District (Eket) also restated his determination to add value to the lives of his constituents through education.

He was speaking at the March Congress of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council, held on Tuesday 24th March 2026 at Godswill Akpabio Press Centre, Uyo.

According to the lawmaker, who emphasized on the need for more journalists to be in leadership positions, he gave out a hundred million naira (100m) as grant to students in his Senatorial District.

“The 100 million naira I gave as grant to over 500 students did not come from constituency funds but his personal funds because I know the value of education and also believes in it.

“This is what you get when a journalist is in leadership position. I am totally committed to training of more journalists inorder to add value.

“There is need for us to address value. The more we go for value the safer we are. Create a trajectory for yourself and drive on that trajectory”

Senator Ekong Sampson who is seeking re-election also added his voice to the need for an experienced legislator saying the business of legislation needs experience.

He commended the governor for showing courage, transparency and a matrix where a man’s word should be his bond stressing that, what the governor said has strengthened power sharing dynamics in state.

The Congress which was presided over by the Chairman of the State Council, Comrade Nsibiet John, after listening to his superlative scorecard in the red Chambers of the National Assembly which has also touched on journalists in the area of training, passed a vote of confidence on Distinguished Senator Ekong Sampson.

Congress also appreciated His Excellency, the Distinguished Senate President, for appointing Senator Ekong Sampson as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, describing the appointment as a well-deserved recognition of his competence, legislative experience, and proven capacity to deliver on national assignments.

The March 2026 Congress of NUJ also featured the celebration of March babies while Senator Ekong Sampson was accompanied to the congress by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, Rt. Hon. Goodluck Gaza.

Anietie Ekong

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has commended the Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Osita Ngwu for his investment in the education of the next generation of Nigerian children.

Akpabio made acclaim on Friday in Enugu as the Special Guest of Honour at the Osita Ngwu scholarship and bursary awards where the Enugu Senator disbursed over N250 million in scholarship to deserving scholars from Enugu West Senatorial District.

According to Senator Akpabio, the Enugu Senator has transformed the future of the youths of Enugu State through massive investment in scholarship and bursary awards. He said such empowerment was an investment in hope for the next generation.

“We cannot quantify in monetary value what Senator Osita is doing today by investing in the future of these children because when you give children education you have empowered them to achieve their potentials in life and that child can go to any place in the world.

“Senator Osita is a giver, not because he is a Senator. He is a giver not because he has so much money. He is a giver because he believes very strongly that no child should be left behind to wallow in illiteracy and ignorance. And that is why he has through personal sacrifice invested in the education of his constituents and other Enugu children.

“Building the future of these children is an uncommon project. Bringing out children who are performing so well in various universities to empower them, training children who will become good citizens of Nigeria is commendable.

“Senator Osita, I’m very proud of you. You don’t have a budget to do this. But you decided to do this through personal sacrifice and savings from your salary And I understand that you have been doing this this in the past 30 years. I can only say congratulations to you,” Akpabio said.

In the same vein, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah who was represented by his Deputy, Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai also heaped praises on Senator Ngwu for his patriotism in investing in the youths of Enugu State.

In his remarks, Senator Ngwu recounted how the scholarship scheme started. “I couldn’t help but remember where this journey began. Years ago, as a student, I watched brilliant young people slowly lose confidence – not because they lacked intelligence, but because opportunity came too late and preparation came too weakly. I saw dreams fade quietly, not from failure, but from absence of support.

“So I began free lessons. No cameras. No announcements. Just a few students, a shared hope, and the belief that one guided mind could change an entire future. I did not know then that those small lessons were the first words of a vision being written — a vision that others would one day carry forward.

“Today, those humble beginnings have grown into Enugu West Academy, with learning centres across our communities and thousands of young people studying every day – proof that when opportunity meets preparation, destinies change.

“This is not just an event. It is a statement that hard work will be seen, effort will be rewarded, and no child’s dream should be limited by circumstance. To every student preparing for examinations: keep going. The late nights, the sacrifices, the discipline – they matter. Your story is still being written,” he said.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio on Friday defended the continued collaboration between the 10th National Assembly and the Executive arm of government.

Akpabio spoke at the joint sitting of the National Assembly on the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill by President Bola Tinubu.

The Senate President, in his welcome address remarked that some people viewed the patriotic collaborative work between the National Assembly and the Executive arm as a sell – out by the Parliament.

Akpabio however recalled that “history is unambiguous on one enduring lesson: nations advance when the Executive and the Legislature work in concert, and they falter when the two become locked in hostility.

“In the United States, the era of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal stands as a classic illustration. Faced with the Great Depression, an aligned Congress partnered with the Executive to pass sweeping legislative reforms—banking regulations, social security, infrastructure investment—that stabilized the economy and reshaped American society for generations.

“Similarly, post-war Britain witnessed remarkable reconstruction because Parliament and the government of Clement Attlee acted with shared purpose, creating the National Health Service and rebuilding a shattered nation.

“In each case, progress flowed not from unanimity of opinion, but from institutional cooperation anchored in a common national interest. It is pertinent to note that history has often distilled its lessons into simple truths.

“One of them is this: Great nations are not built by perfect conditions, but by leaders who make hard choices together.

“By contrast, stagnation has often followed periods of executive-legislative warfare. In the later years of the Roman Republic, constant power struggles between magistrates and the Senate paralyzed governance, weakened institutions, and paved the way for collapse of the empire.

“More recently, repeated government shutdowns in the United States—triggered by budgetary deadlock between Congress and the Executive—have disrupted public services, shaken investor confidence, and slowed economic momentum.

“Across history and continents, the pattern remains consistent: when the organs of state treat each other as adversaries, the nation pays the price; but when they act as partners under the constitution, stability deepens, reforms take root, and progress becomes possible.

“It is within this spirit of constitutional partnership—not rivalry or servility—that great national decisions (like budgeting) acquire meaning and momentum.

Akpabio noted that over the last one year, the Tenth Senate had recorded one of the highest levels of legislative output in its history by passing a record number of bills, including landmark legislations on security, economic reform, governance, judicial administration, electoral integrity, infrastructure development, and social protection.

He said some momentous outcomes of this legislative productivity were bills that had fundamentally reshaped Nigeria’s reform architecture.

Akpabio stated further: “The Senate passed critical security-sector legislation that strengthened coordination among security agencies, enhanced intelligence-sharing, and reinforced the legal framework for combating terrorism, banditry, and transnational crimes.

“Far-reaching economic and fiscal reform bills provided statutory backing for subsidy rationalization, public-finance discipline, revenue mobilization, and improved accountability in the management of national resources.

“Landmark governance and judicial-sector legislation modernized court administration, improved access to justice, reduced procedural delays, and strengthened the independence and efficiency of key democratic institutions.

“Electoral and political-process reforms were enacted to deepen transparency, safeguard electoral integrity, and reinforce public confidence in democratic outcomes.

“In addition, transformative infrastructure, energy, and social-protection legislation laid the legal foundation for accelerated capital development, power-sector reform, housing delivery, and targeted support for vulnerable Nigerians.

“Collectively, these laws did not merely add to the statute books; they translated reform intent into enforceable policy, stabilized governance, and provided the legal scaffolding upon which national recovery and long-term prosperity can be built.

“Progress still has to be translated into prosperity for all. Too many Nigerians continue to struggle with the cost of living. Too many young people seek dignified employment. Too many communities remain burdened by insecurity.

“Whenever we lose anyone to insecurity, a Senator and a Representative lose a constituent, share in the pain of the bereaved family, and are reminded—painfully—of their duty to act.

“We do not see these tragedies as mere distant statistics, but as human lives—fathers and mothers, sons and daughters—whose safety is the first duty of the Government.

“That is why the National Assembly remains committed to strengthening the legal and budgetary frameworks that support our security agencies, enhancing oversight to ensure accountability, and working in concert with the Executive to confront the roots of insecurity with clarity, firmness, and compassion.”

He enjoined all Nigerians to continue to support the patriotic efforts of President Tinubu and also assured Nigerians that the 10th Assembly would continue to serve them with heart and might and represent them with all its strength.