President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Sunday urged Nigerians to look beyond religion, focus on the quality of individuals, and pray that God will give the country leaders who love Nigeria, are patriotic and can bring prosperity to the nation.
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Akpabio gave the admonition during the commissioning and dedication of the National Assembly Christian Chapel, facilitated by the Christian Legislators Fellowship. The chapel was commissioned by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and dedicated by the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke.
While addressing the gathering and other dignitaries, including former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume; members of the Diplomatic Corps; and former members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Akpabio applauded the contributions of Senator Tinubu towards the completion of the chapel, which commenced during the Sixth Assembly.
Responding to the issue of the Muslim-Muslim ticket raised by the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Akpabio said: “Well, I didn’t see it that way. Because I know the person of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and he does not believe in where you come from, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim. He believes in the quality of the human being. And of course, even within his home, he has not attempted to force his children to join any particular religion. Some of his children are Christians. Most especially, he married a pastor in the body of Christ.
“So when I decided, with millions of Nigerians, to support him, we were supporting him based on the quality of leadership and his reformist agenda, which has turned Lagos into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world today.
“So I want us to see beyond religion and look at the quality of individuals and pray that God will give us leaders who love Nigeria, leaders who are patriotic and who can bring prosperity to Nigeria. Above all, God should use them as instruments of peace to stop the insecurity that is pervading our land.”
While acknowledging the presence of the clergymen, Senator Akpabio said: “I open my heart to the President of CAN and all the various denominations—ECWA, COCIN, Methodist, Redeemed, Anglican and all who are here. You are the purveyors of the word of God. I always say, particularly for ECWA and COCIN, that the cross is very heavy in the northern part of Nigeria. As you struggle with the heavy cross, may God lighten your hearts.”
Speaking earlier, Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah said, “I actually do wish that His Excellency, the President, were here because of the significance of this event. I do not consider it an event just for Christians alone. I think it is a celebration of where we now find ourselves, remembering where we came from. As long as we work according to the plan, we will not be here today. The Senators have been much feared with the Muslim-Muslim arrangement. They did not anticipate the possibility that we would come to worship.”
While noting that the dominance of Muslims in the Ninth Assembly attracted criticism, he said: “I know people who occasionally mock the fact that Christianity has been diminished. But I think what we are celebrating, and I am happy that we have heard from those who have been part of this story and how long it has been, is that we are now at a point in the history of Christianity where the focus is on the character of individuals as opposed to where they worship, how they worship or where they come from.
“We are going to reach a point in Nigeria where, in the final analysis, it will not be about whether one is a Christian or a Muslim, because these are the things holding us back.
“I am also happy because I wish my Governor from Kaduna were here. In Kaduna, we were told that we as Christians were insignificant and that the Muslim-Muslim ticket was the way to go. Happily, we now have a system that begins to include us. If you come from where some of us have come from, we have been in the desert for a long time; even a little drop of rain is important to us.”
He urged all lawmakers to maintain a sense of humility, noting that the eternal lawmaker is God Himself. He called on them to protect not only those who voted for them but also those who did not, and to consider the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless and the forgotten.
“We must remember that we are here by grace. None of us can say with certainty that we were guaranteed this privilege. To serve in the National Assembly is not an accident of politics; it is a profound responsibility before God and before the Nigerian people.”
While commissioning the chapel, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, charged members of the National Assembly to recognise that beyond their constitutional mandate to legislate for over 200 million Nigerians, they remain ultimately accountable to God for every decision they take and every law they enact.
The First Lady, who spent 12 years as a senator, noted that Christian legislators previously held weekly fellowship in committee rooms due to the absence of a dedicated place of worship within the complex.
“This occasion is quite significant for me, not only as a Christian but as a former legislator who only had weekly fellowship in one of the committee rooms. To see this vision come to fruition gladdens my heart, and I give God all the glory,” she said.
According to her, the chapel stands as a solemn reminder that while lawmakers represent the people and exercise constitutional authority, they are ultimately accountable to a higher divine authority.
Drawing inspiration from 2 Chronicles 6:39–40, she prayed that every prayer offered within the chapel would be heard and that the facility would nurture humility, moral courage and compassion among leaders.
“As we dedicate this chapel today, may it inspire humility in leadership, courage in decision-making and compassion in service. May Nigeria continue to flourish as we collectively seek the face of God in worship and prayer,” she added.
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