File photo: Oluremi Tinubu
Elegbede Abiodun
Finally completing a 19-year old project of past administrations.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, on Sunday unveiled the newly completed National Assembly Chapel, fulfilling a vision first conceived almost two decades ago by Christian lawmakers.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday by Akpabio’s media aide, Jackson Udom.
The ceremony marks the culmination of a 19-year journey that began in the Sixth Assembly with the idea of a Christian Legislators Fellowship, which, according to the Senate President, operated for years without a dedicated place of worship within the National Assembly complex.
However, Akpabio was first elected as the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in 2015, lost in the 2019 senatorial elections, and won again in 2023.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was elected to the Senate to represent Lagos Central Senatorial District in 2011, marking the beginning of the 7th Assembly.
Speaking at the event, Akpabio reflected on the long wait and the perseverance of lawmakers who kept the vision alive.
“After the idea of a Christian Legislators Fellowship was conceived by patriotic Christian legislators in the Sixth Assembly, we had no dedicated place to pray. We prayed in borrowed rooms. We prayed in basements. We prayed wherever space permitted.
“Yet faithful men and women carried a vision—a vision to build a sacred place where legislators could gather, humble themselves in prayer, and seek the face of God, believing His promise that when His people call upon Him, He will hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”
The Senate President recalled that when he assumed office and visited the site earmarked for the chapel, it had been abandoned.
“When I first came to this place as the President of the Senate, it was overgrown with weeds—silent and abandoned. And we resolved that neglect would not have the final word. Delay would not have the final word. Faith would have the final word.
“Why was I so convinced? Because standing here today, I must confess with humility that I am a testimony of God’s amazing grace. The best-kept secret behind the Uncommon Transformation of Akwa Ibom State, when I had the privilege to serve as governor, is that it was not the work of man. God did it, and He simply used me as an instrument. And today, I see His hand again at work in this 10th Assembly,” he stated.
Akpabio paid glowing tribute to the First Lady for her role in the completion and commissioning of the project.
“Let me pay special tribute to the Esther of our time, the highly esteemed First Lady of our nation, Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Bola Tinubu, for her steadfast support in helping bring to completion this sacred intersection of faith and destiny.
“I thank this remarkable woman of God for graciously honouring us with her presence and for commissioning this Chapel to the glory of Almighty God. I also honour all those—from the 6th Assembly until now—who carried this vision in their hearts and refused to let it die.
“I acknowledge with deep gratitude all who contributed to this noble work, whether in cash or in kind, whose sacrifices have made this day possible,” he noted.
Describing the chapel as more than just a physical structure, Akpabio said it would serve as a spiritual anchor within Nigeria’s highest lawmaking body.
He also acknowledged the timing of the dedication, noting that it coincided with a period of religious observance for Muslim faithful.
“It is deeply instructive that we dedicate this altar of prayer at a time when our Muslim brethren are observing a sacred season of fasting and devotion. In this spirit, let all Nigerians, irrespective of faith, join in seeking God’s guidance, peace, and blessing for our nation,” he added.
The commissioning marks a symbolic milestone for Christian lawmakers in the 10th Assembly, closing a chapter that began with years of prayers in borrowed spaces and culminating in the establishment of a permanent place of worship within the National Assembly complex.
