The details of the meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Senate leadership led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio have emerged.
OsunDailyNG reported that the leaders of the Senate met with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday to congratulate him on his emergence as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
In a statement on Thursday by his spokesman, Dele Alake, President Tinubu said for Nigeria and the rest of Africa to make genuine progress and development, democracy must be nurtured and sustained.
The Nigerian leader asserted that Nigeria has sent the right signal to the rest of the world particularly outside Africa that we mean business.
He said: “Democracy must survive. We need it to make progress. We have to send the right signal to the rest of the world particularly outside Africa that we mean business.”
The President said his election to chair the body of the 16 West African heads of government was unexpected and unanimous, saying it was a call to service that requires more hard work.
Speaking of his election, which came as a vote of confidence by fellow leaders in the region, President Tinubu said it was an additional responsibility Nigeria must bear for the good of Africa.
The Nigerian leader said with encouragement like this from the Senate and other channels, the credit means more work.
President Tinubu pledged not to let Nigerians down in the discharge of his responsibilities in spite of the current challenges, adding that encouragement from the Senate and other channels means there is more work to be done.
Earlier, Senator Akpabio said the election of President Tinubu during his first outing with the regional body was a testament to the high esteem in which his colleagues hold him.
He said: “We came to congratulate you on the laurel that you brought back home. On the first day, you were in the chambers of ECOWAS, your Brother-Presidents unanimously elected you to lead them. Your emergence signified the renewed hope you brought to Nigerians.”
Senator Akpabio said the Senate and the entire National Assembly would continue to support the President to deliver on his mandate and accomplish his vision for a more prosperous Nigeria.
