A budget defence session of the Ministry of Steel Development ended in tension on Wednesday after a heated exchange between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Committee Chairman Patrick Ndubueze.
The confrontation followed nearly four hours of deliberations on the ministry’s performance and projections.
Discussions had centred on the Ajaokuta Steel Company and agreements signed with private partners.
Tension rose when Akpoti-Uduaghan continued pressing ministry officials for further clarification on key issues.
As proceedings dragged on, Chairman Ndubueze moved to conclude the session, noting the length of her contributions.
The Kogi Central lawmaker objected, insisting she had vital questions for the minister.
She accused the chairman of attempting to silence her during an interactive oversight session.
Akpoti-Uduaghan argued that as the senator representing the host community of Ajaokuta, she deserved adequate engagement.
She said she had previously requested copies of certain Memoranda of Understanding but was not provided the documents.
According to her, the lack of access forced her to rely on external sources for information.
The senator also claimed the ministry had not sufficiently engaged her despite her dual role as legislator and host community representative.
In response, Ndubueze maintained that she had been given ample opportunity to speak.
He suggested unresolved issues could be addressed at a separate investigative hearing.
The disagreement briefly disrupted proceedings before the chairman struck the gavel.
Earlier, the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, presented details of the ministry’s budget performance.
He disclosed that N24.143 billion was appropriated in 2024 for its agencies.
Of that amount, N9.5 billion was allocated for personnel, N383 million for overhead, and N11.06 billion for capital projects.
The minister said total releases stood at 56.5 percent as of December 31, 2025.
Personnel and overhead allocations were fully released, while capital funding stood at 48.4 percent.
Capital releases for the 2025 budget, he added, had yet to commence.
Other lawmakers urged the ministry to explore domestic funding options to revive Ajaokuta.
Senator Isah Jibrin suggested activating specific production lines in phases using locally sourced financing.
Despite the clash, the committee resolved to reconvene for further discussions on Ajaokuta and pending agreements.
