Tempers flared at the National Assembly on Wednesday as the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, defended his ministry’s N3.4 trillion 2026 budget, triggering heated exchanges, procedural breakdown and open confrontation among lawmakers.
What began as a routine budget defence before the Joint Committees on Works of the Senate and House of Representatives quickly degenerated into chaos after several lawmakers took exception to the minister’s responses to probing questions on road contracts, funding releases and project execution.
The session reached a boiling point following a sharp exchange between Umahi and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who questioned the withdrawal of the Abuja–Kaduna Road project from construction giant Julius Berger and its alleged reassignment to Maikano, a company reportedly better known for generator manufacturing than large-scale road construction.
Oshiomhole demanded justification for the decision, raising concerns about transparency, technical competence and value for money on one of the country’s most strategic highways.
In his response, Umahi dismissed the insinuations and challenged lawmakers to physically inspect one of the company’s ongoing projects, vowing to “throw in the towel” if the road was found to be substandard.
The tension soon spilled over into a shouting match between the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Rufai Hanga, and Senate Principal Officer Onyekachi Nwoebonyi, after the chairman repeatedly struck the gavel to halt what he considered an extended and unnecessary defence of the minister.
Efforts by senior lawmakers, including Senator Ali Ndume, to restore calm failed as proceedings briefly descended into disorder, forcing interruptions in the session.
Beyond the theatrics, the budget defence exposed deep concerns over the funding and management of federal road projects. Umahi disclosed that only about nine per cent of the ministry’s N2.2 trillion capital allocation for 2025 had been released, severely constraining project execution nationwide.
He further revealed that President Bola Tinubu inherited more than 2,000 ongoing projects valued at N13 trillion as of May 2023, excluding NNPCL tax-credit projects, from which the national oil company has since withdrawn.
According to the minister, the Federal Government would require an additional N7 trillion to sustain those projects, while contractors are currently owed over N2.2 trillion.
Addressing concerns over multiple N14 million project entries in the ministry’s budget, Umahi described them as accounting placeholders or “optical illusions,” insisting they did not represent the true cost of the projects listed.
Despite the discord, the minister assured lawmakers that sections of key legacy road projects would be completed and ready for commissioning between May and December 2026, provided funding improves.
The chaotic session underscored growing legislative frustration over infrastructure spending, accountability and execution, as Nigeria grapples with mounting fiscal pressures and critical road failures ahead of the 2026 budget cycle.
Tensions Boil Over as Umahi Defends N3.4trn Works Budget at NASS
