The 10th Senate and the Meaning of Legislative Leadership
By Kabir Akintayo
There is a difference between a legislature that merely debates national issues and one whose work steadily finds its way into the daily lives of citizens. For the Nigerian Senate, the true measure of legislative leadership is not the noise on the floor, the length of speeches or the number of motions adopted. It is what remains after the microphones are switched off: laws passed, institutions strengthened, rights protected, resources better managed and national problems confronted through legislation and oversight.
This is the context in which the record of the 10th Senate— inaugurated in June 2023 under Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin—must be understood. Their leadership placed two politicians with different regional backgrounds and legislative experiences at the head of the Red Chamber. Akpabio, representing Akwa Ibom North‑West, presides over the Senate’s political and administrative centre, while Barau, from Kano North, combines the duties of presiding officer with active legislative sponsorship and institutional initiatives.
Together, they have steered a Senate aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, taking difficult decisions and accelerating legislative processes that could shape Nigeria’s future.
The significance of the 10th Senate’s record becomes clearer when examining the subjects of the laws it has considered. Among its major interventions are the National Minimum Wage Amendment Act, raising the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000; the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act establishing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund; amendments to the Electricity Act enabling greater state and private‑sector participation; the National Social Investment Programmes Act; and legislation establishing development commissions for geopolitical regions.
These are not abstract parliamentary exercises. For a minimum‑wage worker, legislation determines the value of a monthly pay cheque. For a student whose parents cannot afford university fees, an education‑loan framework can determine whether higher education remains within reach. For states seeking to develop electricity markets, legislative changes create new regulatory possibilities.
The Senate’s economic agenda has also extended into taxation, investment, insurance and revenue administration. The Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Joint Revenue Board Bill and Nigeria Revenue Service Bill aim to reshape aspects of Nigeria’s fiscal architecture by improving compliance, simplifying administration and strengthening revenue mobilisation.
The National Assembly’s legislative tracker illustrates the scale of activity: as of April 29, 2026, 1,033 Senate bills had entered the process, with 453 at second reading and 424 before committees. The official dashboard recorded 106 bills passed by April 23, 2026. Earlier Senate figures put the number of bills passed during its second‑year milestone at 113, with 55 receiving presidential assent. Whatever date‑specific measure is used, the broader record points to a chamber processing legislation at considerable scale.
For perspective, the 9th Senate under Ahmad Lawan announced at its second anniversary in June 2021 that it had passed 58 bills out of 742 introduced at that point. The comparison is not a dismissal of the 9th Senate’s contribution, but an indication of the legislative volume achieved by the succeeding chamber at comparable stages.
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Akpabio’s presidency has also been defined by the challenge of balancing political management with institutional responsibility. The Senate operates within the wider architecture of government. Its committees summon officials, scrutinise expenditure, examine policies and investigate matters of public concern. At one point, President Tinubu appealed to the National Assembly to exercise restraint in summoning cabinet ministers and heads of ministries, departments and agencies, while acknowledging lawmakers’ constitutional oversight powers.
Security has been a major area of visible oversight. Beyond interactions with security chiefs and scrutiny of security‑related expenditure, the Senate established a special panel headed by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to convene a national security summit in response to persistent killings and insecurity. Legislation has also addressed contemporary threats through measures such as the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act, revised cybercrime legislation and reforms to the Defence Industries Corporation.
Barau Jibrin’s role as Deputy Senate President has carried its own weight. Elected unopposed, he presides whenever Akpabio is unavailable, reflecting the cordial relationship and professionalism between the two leaders. Barau’s legislative record includes sponsoring or co‑sponsoring several bills, including constitutional alteration proposals, tertiary institution establishment bills and security‑related legislation.
His role became particularly significant in the constitutional reform process. As chair of the Senate committee reviewing the 1999 Constitution, Barau has been central to discussions on state policing, devolution and other structural reforms—issues long overdue and essential to addressing insecurity from the grassroots. Constitutional review requires managing competing interests, political sensitivities and divergent views about how Nigeria should be governed.
The 10th Senate has also demonstrated its willingness to enforce parliamentary discipline. In March 2024, Senator Abdul Ningi was suspended for three months following controversy over alleged budget padding. In March 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti‑Uduaghan was suspended for six months after proceedings before the ethics committee. She disputed the circumstances and pursued the matter in court. These episodes remain contested, but they show the Senate’s continued use of disciplinary mechanisms to enforce parliamentary rules, even when decisions are challenged.
The story of the 10th Senate is therefore larger than its presiding officers. Akpabio provides political direction; Barau adds legislative and administrative depth; committee chairs drive sectoral scrutiny; and individual senators sponsor bills reflecting constituency concerns and national priorities.
The most useful way to assess the 10th Senate is through the legislative footprints it is leaving behind: minimum wage, student loans, local government financial autonomy, regional development, electricity reform, taxation, data protection, security, capital markets, electoral reform, education and constitutional review.
As the 10th Senate moves toward the completion of its tenure, Akpabio and Barau will remain central to its story. But the more enduring record will be found in the laws and institutions created during their stewardship—and in whether those laws translate into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
That institutional record, alongside the individual contributions of the senators who shaped it, forms the basis of a forthcoming PRNigeria publication documenting the members of the 10th Senate and their legislative achievements. It is, in many ways, the story of a parliament told through the people who occupied its seats—and through the laws they left behind.
Kabir Akintayo is Politics Digest Staff writer
