Full Welcome Address Delivered by Senate President Bukola Saraki, as Nigerian Senate had First Session in 2019

Nigerian Senate President,  Bukola Saraki 

"The New Year has met our countrymen and women in an anticipatory mood. Spirits are high, because in this year 2019, Nigeria has a date with destiny. But we also know that despite all of this, the work of leadership must go on; governance must not suffer".

"This is an epoch making Senate that had, by the end of 2018, passed an unprecedented 257 bills, many of which are groundbreaking enough to change the game to meet the needs of Nigerians, with the potential to radically transform their lives for the better".

"The legacy of the 8th Senate will be written in the legislative footprints that we leave. Therefore, we must ensure that we continue to address issues affecting Nigerians such as unemployment, lack of economic opportunities and insecurity".

"The 2019 Elections are just over a month away, and the expectations of Nigerians as the dates draw near, is that we continue to serve as the representatives they voted for. In our work in this chamber, we are expected to rise above the partisan paradigm".

"Nigerians want to see leaders who will not succumb to the partisan instinct in lawmaking. They want to see leaders who will help reduce the tension in the polity by contributing to an atmosphere of moderate and measured political conversations".

"Expectations of the Executive are also palpable, particularly with regard to the need to uphold the Constitution and its tenets, especially as they guarantee the minimum basic requirement of Separation of Powers; the unity of the country and the welfare of the citizens".

"I wish to lay emphasis on the role of the Judiciary in promoting justice and bringing respect to the country. If the Judiciary is violated or eroded or otherwise brought to ill repute, so do the values attached to its role in a democracy".

"Everyone in the political value chain should therefore do nothing that could raise tensions in the country. Nigerians are looking up to leaders who will douse flames that have the potential to threaten the peace and wellbeing of our country".

"The integrity of the constitution must be preserved at all times; and service to the people in a unified country should be our ultimate goal in all that we do as legislators".

"Looking ahead to the General Elections, I wish all contestants and aspirants luck in the forthcoming elections, including those here among us. I enjoin us all to bear in mind that it should be a contest of ideas".

"To all Nigerians, I say this: we must have a country after the elections. We still have to live among ourselves when the polls have closed and the elections are over. The rhetoric leading up to the elections must be mindful of the need for moderation".

"To those of us who are contesting, let us remember that our biggest offer is to serve. Ultimately, the Nigerian people have a right to choose who will represent them at all levels. It is not a do or die affair".