Akpabio Sends Important Message To Lawmakers, Journalists

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has charged lawmakers to remain committed to protecting public funds, saying the National Assembly owes Nigerians a duty to guard the public purse.

He also urged journalists covering the Senate to set the highest standard for parliamentary reporting in Nigeria by improving their understanding of the Constitution and the rules guiding the institution.

Akpabio spoke on Monday at the 2026 Capacity-Building Workshop organised by the Senate Press Corps.

The workshop, themed, “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions,” focused on the role of legislative oversight and the media in promoting transparency and accountability in the budget process.

Represented at the event by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Akpabio said the theme of the workshop “goes to the heart of representative government.”

He said lawmakers must protect public funds while journalists have a responsibility to properly inform Nigerians about the activities of government.

“Parliament must guard the public purse, the press must illuminate the public record, and both must answer to the Nigerian people from whom all public authority comes,” he said.

Naija News reports that the Senate President urged parliamentary reporters to be thorough and careful in their coverage, noting that journalists must balance the pressure to publish quickly with the need to ensure that their reports are accurate.

He said parliamentary journalism “demands and requires being very thorough and careful because while sensational claims are rewarded immediately, careful corrections often reach fewer people.”

Akpabio stressed the importance of credible reporting, especially in an environment where public officials and institutions are subjected to intense scrutiny.

He said journalists should provide Nigerians with facts that would help them understand the challenges facing the country.

“Nigeria needs reporting strong enough to withstand scrutiny. We face real hardships and disagreements, and the public deserves facts that help us confront them,” he said.

The Senate President also encouraged journalists to expose wrongdoing but warned them against presenting unverified claims as established facts.

“Exposing failure can be an act of service to the Nation. So can resisting the temptation to present conjecture as fact. Patriotism asks us both to tell the truth about our country and to care what happens to it,” he said.

The workshop brought together stakeholders involved in the budget and legislative accountability process.

Among those who made presentations were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Director of BudgIT, Mr Oluseun Onigbinde; Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mallam Auwal Musa Rafsanjani; and Publisher of Eagle Times Newspaper, Mr Ikechukwu Chukwunyere.

The speakers addressed different aspects of the budget process, legislative oversight, media reporting and the need for greater accountability in the management of public resources.