Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on parliaments across the world to take a firm stand against escalating global conflicts, warning that rising tensions reflect a deeper failure of international leadership that only collective democratic action can reverse.
Speaking before delegates at the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Abuja, Akpabio anchored his address on the theme “Nurturing Hope, Securing Peace and Ensuring Justice for Future Generations,” urging the global community to redirect the resources of war toward the work of human development.
“It is time to turn from destruction to construction and redirect the instruments of war toward the work of development,” he told the gathering.
The Senate President noted that the assembly convened against a backdrop of mounting instability, with conflicts raging across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, placing enormous strain on the institutions designed to uphold international order. Drawing on Nigeria’s own history of navigating conflict and nation-building, he described legislatures as the conscience of the people and the first hope of the masses, emphasising their unique role in championing peace, equity, and justice.
Akpabio warned that no region of the world was immune to instability and stressed that multilateralism and democratic values were the essential tools for managing global crises. He challenged the notion that military might should ever be confused with moral right, and called on the Inter-Parliamentary Union to take a more decisive role in strengthening the United Nations and amplifying the voices of smaller, more vulnerable nations in global decision-making.
