Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged members of the National Assembly to strengthen their commitment to protecting public funds and ensuring accountability in the management of the nation’s resources.
Akpabio also called on journalists covering the legislature to improve their understanding of the Constitution and parliamentary procedures to ensure accurate and responsible reporting.
He made the remarks 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,” examined the roles of lawmakers and the media in promoting transparency in the budget process.
Represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Akpabio described the theme as central to the principles of representative government.
He said, “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.”
The Senate President urged parliamentary correspondents to prioritise accuracy and thoroughness, despite the pressure to publish breaking developments quickly.
He noted that sensational claims often attract immediate attention, while corrections and carefully verified reports may receive less public attention.
According to him, “Nigeria needs reporting strong enough to withstand scrutiny. We face real hardships and disagreements, and the public deserves facts that help us confront them.”
Akpabio encouraged journalists to investigate and report wrongdoing but cautioned them against treating unverified allegations as facts.
He said, “Exposing failure can be an act of service to the nation. So can resisting the temptation to present conjecture as fact.”
He added that journalists had a responsibility to tell the truth while remaining conscious of the impact of their reports on society.
The workshop featured presentations by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; BudgIT Director, Oluseun Onigbinde; Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani; and Publisher of Eagle Times Newspaper, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere.
The speakers addressed issues surrounding budget preparation, legislative oversight, media coverage and accountability in the management of public resources.
