President of the Nigerian senate, Godswill Akpabio has boasted that Nigeria achieved within 24 years what took the United States of America 185 years.
He made the remark on Wednesday, November 29, during the 2024 budget presentation by President Bola Tinubu to the joint session of the Senate and House of Representative.
Akpabio eulogized Tinubu and Kashim Shettima , who were senators before becoming President and Vice President at the same time, a feat he said took America 185 years to achieve.
President Tinubu served as a senator from 1992-1993, while Shettima was a senator from 2019 to 2023.
Akpabio said the first time America had two former senators as president and vice, was with John F Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, on the country’s 185th anniversary.
He said: “It is said that no matter how high the eagle flies, its talons keep pointing to the earth. Your Excellency, we know that no matter how high you rise, your heart will always point to this Assembly.
“Mr President, the United States has been a democracy for 247 years. But it was only when it marked the 185th Anniversary that it succeeded in producing two former senators (J F Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson) as President and Vice President respectively.
“But within 24 years of our democracy, we have achieved what took USA 185 years to achieve. Not only do we have two former Distinguished Senators serving as the President and Vice President of our dear country; but we also have other alumni of this Assembly in positions of public trust: Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator George Akume; the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and other Senators in the Cabinet.”
