Tempers flared on Wednesday at the National Assembly as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan clashed with Senator Patrick Ndubueze, chairman of the Senate committee overseeing the Ministry of Steel Development, during the ministry’s budget defence session.
The confrontation erupted after nearly four hours of deliberations when Ndubueze moved to adjourn proceedings, stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan had spoken at length and the session needed to be concluded.
As the chairman raised his gavel, Akpoti-Uduaghan interjected: “No, please do not interrupt. I still have something to say, and I think you should respect me enough. Please don’t do that.”
Ignoring her protest, Ndubueze struck the gavel and responded: “No, you have spoken enough, and I have respected you enough.”
The Kogi Central lawmaker replied, “Mr Chairman, thank you. Then that’s fine,” before raising her voice.
“I think you have disrespected me more than enough. No, no, no. You can’t do this to me. You can’t. You have spoken enough — allow me to speak. I have something very vital to interface with the minister.
“And it doesn’t matter if I’ve spoken once or twice. This is an interactive session. And you agree that we have not met with the minister enough. Only God knows where next we are going to meet with him as a committee.”
She subsequently walked out of the hearing room.
Earlier in the session, which focused on the performance of the 2024 budget and proposals for 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan repeatedly questioned the ministry’s handling of the Ajaokuta Steel Company and related memoranda of understanding with private partners.
“I did request for a copy of the MoU because I needed to be certain that due diligence was conducted,” she said. “But since I was not furnished with the MoU, I had to rely on third-party conversations.”
According to her, information available suggested that while one partner was expected to provide technical expertise, financing was to come from another.
“If TPE was to bring the technical expertise, that means ProForce should have brought the finance. Please explain this to me,” she demanded.
The senator also criticised the ministry for what she described as insufficient engagement with her as representative of the host community.
“I am the senator representing Kogi Central, and since I got into the Senate, we’ve just met only three times. We only seem to meet at budget presentations,” she said.
She disclosed that she had previously written to the minister requesting a meeting but was not granted an audience.
“I am saying it right now, I am going to write to you formally. I am seated in dual capacity. I have got host community representation to project and protect,” she added.
At one point, she accused the ministry of recycling rhetoric without tangible progress.
“You have prepared this fantastic speech… we just meet, we talk to the media, and then every day we fold our arms and do nothing,” she said.
“Three years into you being a minister, we are still trying to go back and forth on what is the best model to move Ajaokuta. Isn’t that funny?”
In his presentation, Minister of Steel Development Shuaibu Audu outlined the ministry’s mandate and financial performance.
He said the ministry and its agencies received N24.143 billion in the 2024 appropriation, comprising N9.5 billion for personnel, N383 million for overhead, and N11.06 billion for capital expenditure.
According to him, as of December 31, 2025, total releases stood at 56.5 per cent of the appropriation. Personnel and overhead allocations were fully released, while capital releases stood at 48.4 per cent.
He added that capital releases for the 2025 budget had yet to commence.
Responding to concerns over the MoU, the minister said the National Assembly had been provided with details of the agreement and advised the senator to follow established procedures if she sought further engagement.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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