Works Minister Umahi Clashes with Oshiomhole at Senate Budget Hearing
- A Senate budget defence session was disrupted after Works Minister David Umahi and Senator Adams Oshiomhole clashed over the coastal highway project
- Tensions rose as Oshiomhole questioned funding transparency and project delays, drawing sharp objections from Umahi over his conduct
- Lawmakers intervened to restore order before discussions shifted to road funding models and delays in fund releases
Sharp exchanges disrupted proceedings in the Senate on Wednesday, February 11, as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole clashed during a budget defence session.
The disagreement surfaced while lawmakers examined the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
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Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, questioned funding clarity and delays tied to the project, prompting a tense response from the minister. Both men belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tension flares during Senate questioning
As the exchange escalated, Umahi accused the senator of speaking disrespectfully.
“Sir, are you judging or asking me questions?” he asked while responding to the scrutiny.
Oshiomhole pushed back immediately, saying, “You are not entitled to interrupt me.”
The minister reacted sharply, saying, “You can’t use foul language on me. I’m a distinguished Nigerian. You cannot speak to me in that manner.”
Several senators reacted to the confrontation, with some siding with Oshiomhole and urging Umahi to moderate his tone.
One lawmaker mocked the minister’s reaction, referring to his short tenure in the chamber and drawing laughter from colleagues. The committee chairman later stepped in and appealed for order, asking both men to proceed with the session.
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Senate budget defence turns contentious
After tempers cooled, Oshiomhole commended President Bola Tinubu for ending the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited road funding approach. He described tax credit arrangements as “very difficult to monitor transparency.”
Umahi agreed that the shift toward private sector funding was beneficial. He told the committee that delays had occurred due to the non-release of funds by the federal ministry of finance.
The minister added that the president had not been informed of the setback and assured lawmakers that the matter would be addressed.
Natasha clashes with Tinubu's minister
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that sharp disagreements over the future of the Ajaokuta Steel Company dominated a budget defence session at the National Assembly on Wednesday, February 11, as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan clashed openly with the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu.
The exchange occurred during a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives committees on mines and steel development, convened to review funding proposals and policy direction for the sector.
Both lawmakers hail from Kogi state but sit on opposite political sides, with Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central under the Peoples Democratic Party and Audu serving in the All Progressives Congress-led federal cabinet.
Akpoti-Uduaghan used the session to question the federal government’s resolve to revive Ajaokuta, arguing that the project had suffered from prolonged indecision rather than lack of capacity.
She compared the steel plant’s funding needs with other large infrastructure projects already underway.
Court grants Natasha bail on fresh charge
Legit.ng earlier reported that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was granted bail in a case involving her and the Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned in the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, as the federal government slammed fresh charges against her.
Source: Legit.ng
