Inaugural Speech by Tajudeen Abbas, 10th House of Reps Speaker

Full text of the inaugural speech by Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives at the inauguration of the Tenth National Assembly

“Honourable Colleagues, today, I stand before you with immense joy and gratitude as we celebrate a momentous victory for the 10th House of Representatives. I want to express my deepest appreciation to each and every one of you who believed in me and supported my candidacy. I am indeed humbled and honoured to be elected as your Speaker, as the Speaker of the Nigerian people.

I offer my deepest gratitude and thanks to the Almighty God for His divine guidance and blessings throughout this journey. It is through His grace that I stand before you today as the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

I wish to sincerely thank you all for finding me worthy of being your Speaker, out of the 360 of us, who are all equals. I also thank Almighty Allah for making this journey possible. To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my party, the APC, I say a big thank you for finding me competent to be nominated to serve in this position for the Nigerian people. I thank every other person who has directly or indirectly contributed to this journey.

This victory is not just about me; it is about all of us coming together as a united House to serve the Nigerian people diligently. It is about honouring the trust that has been placed on us and working tirelessly to deliver on our promises of good governance and effective representation.

It is worthy to note that speakership campaign witnessed in the past few months was democracy at play. But today, all of that has come to pass, and it is time to forge ahead and work together for our people for our common good.

I do not take this mandate bestowed on me as the Nigerian Speaker for granted. I want to assure you today that I shall be just and fair to every one of you irrespective of our perceived differences. I shall operate a House that you all will be proud of. I shall be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the House Rules. Our doors will be open for members of APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, APGA, SDP, ADC and YPP as we strongly believe nation-building is a Joint Task.

My dear colleagues, those of us that were privileged to serve in the just concluded 9th House of Representatives will attest to the fact that appreciable successes had been recorded under my predecessor, Rt. Hon. Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila, CFR, who from tomorrow, will assume office as the Chief of Staff to the President/Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria. I will like to congratulate him for finishing his tenure as Speaker successfully and for his new national assignment. The former Speaker remains a great Nigerian whose service to fatherland in the past 20 years as a legislator is unmatched. I commend him for his sacrifices for Nigeria and his support for the new 10th House of Representatives.

Honourable Colleagues, under my watch, the 10th House shall sustain and even surpass the gains of the 9th House. That is my prayer. We shall carry out the TASK before us JOINTLY. We shall introduce reforms and innovations for the benefit of Nigerians. In a few weeks, we shall be reeling out the legislative agenda that will shape the 10th House of Representatives.

We shall work closely and inter-dependently with the Executive and Judiciary to give Nigerians the good governance they deserve. We stand at a crucial juncture in our nation’s history, where challenges abound, but so do opportunities. We will champion legislations that will uplift the lives of our fellow citizens, promote social justice, and drive sustainable development.

We will focus on strengthening our security apparatus, collaborating with relevant stakeholders to combat insurgency, terrorism, and all forms of criminalities. We aim to help create a safe and secure environment that fosters economic growth and social stability.

Through legislations, the 10th House will promote entrepreneurship and support small and medium-scale enterprises. We shall diversify our economy and provide sustainable employment opportunities for our youth. We are aware of the challenges in our education, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors amongst other.

We will work in harmony with the executive arm, while upholding principles of checks and balances. Our collaboration will be anchored on the principles of transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.

Honourable Colleagues, may I remind all of us that we hold our respective offices in trust for the Nigerian people. We MUST, therefore, justify the confidence reposed in us by our constituents to represent their interests and work committedly for our dear nation.

Working closely with my deputy, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, we shall provide purposeful leadership in the 10th House of Representatives.

My dear colleagues, I invite you all to be on board for the next four years as we embark on this Nigerian Project to RENEW the HOPE of our people.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!”

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