Senate President Godswill Akpabio has reaffirmed the upper chamber’s commitment to fostering accountability, transparency and good governance.

Mr Akpabio stated this at the opening of a workshop on “Strengthening Legislative Compliance for Effective Governance,” organised for members of the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance on Monday in Abuja.

The workshop was organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).

Mr Apkabio said that as representatives of the people, their mandate was to ensure that the resolutions and laws passed by the legislature were implemented effectively.

He said the task was not just about oversight but ensuring that the aspirations of Nigerians, as articulated through their representatives, were translated into meaningful action and positive outcomes.

The Senate president said legislative compliance was critical to the success of governance.

According to him, without legislative compliance, the effectiveness of the National Assembly would be undermined, public trust in government eroded, and the development agenda stalled.

“Strengthening legislative compliance is, therefore, not just a procedural task but a patriotic duty that directly impacts the lives of Nigerians.

“Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Senate to fostering accountability, transparency and good governance.

“We will continue to support initiatives that ensure the effective implementation of laws and policies in alignment with our legislative agenda and the aspirations of the Nigerian people,” he said.

In his remarks, the chairman of the committee, Garba Maidoki, stressed the need to ensure the effective use of resources available to the parliament.

He also called for synergy between other committees of the Senate and the compliance committee to ensure effective coordination and implementation of resolutions.

Earlier, the Director-General of NILDS, Abubakar Sulaiman, said ensuring compliance with the laws, resolutions and policies by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) was often fraught with challenges.

Mr Sulaiman said weak enforcement mechanisms, bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of political will could undermine the impacts of legislative decisions, thereby eroding public trust in governance.

He said the roundtable provided a unique opportunity to tackle the challenges head-on.

“A lack of compliance weakens the foundation of democracy and compromises the delivery of services to citizens.

“It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance is equipped with the tools, strategies and institutional support needed to track, monitor and enforce adherence to legislative mandates,” he said.

(NAN)