“We know that the executive arm is steering our country through turbulent waters. The mark of a great sailor is not how he fares in calm waters; it is in how he powers through the rough seas.
“If His Excellency, Senator Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and your good self must take the ship of state to harbours of bliss and development, then you must steer us out of the sheltered shore, through the rolling waves and stormy gales, and set the sails to weather every storm, safe in the knowledge that you are not alone.
“Tell Mr. President, that the leadership of the Tenth National Assembly (and by extension the entire National Assembly) says that he will never walk alone.”
Akpabio said the President Tinubu-led executive and the National Assembly have been destined to “give hope to our nation.”
He said: “My dear colleagues, when John the Baptist heard about the works of Jesus Christ, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?’
“It was not a religious question; it was a generational and rhetorical question. This question defines the hope and expectation of every nation, every people, and every group when change occurs.
“This is the question in the streets and highways of our dear country; ‘Is this the government that should come, or do we look for another?’
“The follow-up question is, ‘Is this the National Assembly that should come, or do we look for another?’
“We believe that this is the government that should come to change the fortunes of our country. We believe that this is the National Assembly that should come to change our destiny.
“We believe that this National Assembly has come to give hope to our nation. There is an Italian proverb that says that the right man comes at the right season.
“We must not only be worthy leaders but also dealers of hope for the entire membership of the National Assembly in particular and our nation in general.
He called on the leadership of the National Assembly to be united and of one purpose in proffering solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting the country.
He added: “Check the history of the world and you will discover that the world has always been changed by a few thoughtful, patriotic, selfless, concerned citizens armed with faith and conviction.
“They led the charge, the masses followed. Friends and colleagues, we can lead the charge in our country.
