…Says Commending President Amid Expanding Killings Is “Ill-Timed, Insensitive, and Provocative”
November 27, 2025
In a fiery and emotionally charged session on Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate was thrown into tension as Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) delivered a blistering critique of legislators who proposed passing a vote of commendation to President Bola Tinubu—despite the worsening wave of killings, mass abductions, and terrorist attacks ravaging the nation.
The Senate had convened to debate a motion on recent deadly assaults in several states, but the conversation took a dramatic turn when Dickson warned that Nigeria was now facing levels of insecurity “that even nations in active war do not endure.”
According to him, the daily realities of Nigerians—schools raided, villagers kidnapped in droves, highways controlled by bandits, and military officers, including a Brigadier General, slaughtered by terrorists—should sober the nation’s leadership rather than trigger praise-singing.
He criticised the tone of the motion presented and the contributions of some majority-party lawmakers, describing them as “unnecessarily political, disconnected from reality, and an outright failure to reflect the depth of the crisis threatening the soul of the country.”
> “This is not the time for sugarcoating. This is not the time for flattery. This is the time for truth,” Senator Dickson declared, his voice rising in evident frustration.
The tension in the chamber intensified when Senate President Godswill Akpabio abruptly interrupted him, cutting short his remarks—a move Dickson later described as an attempt to silence him. He clarified that his reference to “the other side” was not derogatory but a standard parliamentary expression denoting the majority caucus.
Dickson further accused some lawmakers calling for commendation of being unable to safely visit their own constituencies, as several communities are now effectively under terrorist control, with locals forced to pay “informal taxes” to insurgent groups that operate as parallel governments.
He emphasised that the Senate’s foremost responsibility should be to support security forces “who are fighting, bleeding, and dying daily,” while strengthening oversight, tightening budget accountability, and offering sound policy direction.
He renewed calls for a full-scale investigation into years of defence spending, lamenting that despite trillions of naira pumped into the security sector, Nigeria continues to “cede territory, lose lives, and remain at the mercy of a ragtag band of terrorists.”
Dickson suggested that a deeply rooted “war economy” may be sabotaging Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts and prolonging suffering for political and financial gain.
Backing the Senate’s plan to probe the withdrawal of military personnel in Kebbi State and the subsequent capture and killing of Brigadier General Uba by ISWAP, the Bayelsa senator stressed that accountability must extend to all levels of command.
He expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of fallen soldiers and innocent victims nationwide, insisting that Nigeria is “at war—whether we admit it or not”—and that victory requires leadership anchored in honesty, courage, and responsibility, not applause.
In a defiant closing remark, Dickson accused the Senate President of repeatedly attempting to muzzle the opposition voice but vowed to remain unwavering.
> “The majority may have their way, but the minority must have their say,” he asserted. “The presiding officer is first among equals, not a boss. I will not be intimidated. Democracy must thrive, and we must defend this nation with truth and courage.”
With the chamber still simmering, Dickson’s explosive intervention has reignited national conversations about transparency, accountability, and the political will needed to confront Nigeria’s deepening security catastrophe.
PIONEER NEWS 