February 11, (THEWILL) — A shouting match and a brief walkout on Wednesday disrupted the Senate’s screening of the 2026 budget proposals of the Ministries of Works and Steel Development, as sharp disagreements broke out among lawmakers during separate committee sessions.
At the budget defence of the Ministry of Works, tempers flared after a verbal altercation between the Deputy Senate Whip, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (APC, Ebonyi), and the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Suleiman Hanga (NNPP, Kano), who chaired the session in place of the indisposed committee chairman, Mpigi Barinada (Rivers South East).
Proceedings had begun smoothly, with the Minister of Works, David Umahi, presenting the ministry’s 2026 budget proposal and responding to questions from lawmakers.
Trouble started when Senator Nwaebonyi, in remarks widely seen as overly laudatory, urged colleagues to commend President Bola Tinubu and Minister Umahi for what he described as strong performance in the road sector.
As the intervention dragged on, Senator Hanga asked him to round off, prompting an angry reaction from Nwaebonyi, who accused the chair of bias and double standards.
The disagreement escalated into a shouting match, forcing Hanga to strike the gavel to restore order. Nwaebonyi subsequently stormed out of the session after rebuffing attempts by Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) to calm tensions.
Normalcy was later restored following interventions by senior lawmakers, including Ndume and Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), allowing the budget defence to continue.
Before the disruption, Umahi had challenged lawmakers over criticisms of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Road project, inviting the committee to carry out an on-the-spot assessment and pledging to resign if the work was found to be substandard.
He disclosed that out of the ₦3.245 trillion capital allocation proposed for the ministry in the 2026 budget, ₦760 billion is earmarked for new projects across the six geo-political zones.
He added that funding for ongoing road projects, estimated at ₦7 trillion, would be sourced through domestic bond financing, while priority would be given to completing major highways and four presidential “legacy” projects.
Meanwhile, a separate budget defence session involving the Ministry of Steel Development also turned tense, as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) clashed with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Steel Development, Senator Patrick Ndubueze, following nearly four hours of deliberations.
The exchange occurred as Ndubueze attempted to draw the session to a close, insisting that Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had led extensive questioning on the Ajaokuta Steel Company and related Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), could reserve further inquiries for an investigative hearing.
The Kogi Central lawmaker protested, accusing the chairman and the ministry of insufficient engagement with her as the host community representative.
Earlier, Akpoti-Uduaghan had questioned the transparency of agreements involving Ajaokuta Steel Company, while urging greater accountability and tangible progress in reviving the steel complex.
In his presentation, the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, said the ministry received ₦24.143 billion in the 2024 budget, with total releases standing at 56.5 per cent as of December 31, 2025.
He added that capital releases for the 2025 budget were yet to commence.
Despite the tense exchanges at both sessions, Senate committees resolved to hold further engagements to address outstanding concerns on road infrastructure delivery and the long-delayed revival of Ajaokuta Steel Company.
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