Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan dramatically walked out of a Senate Mines and Steel Committee meeting after a sharp exchange with the Chairman
Tempers Flare in Senate as Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Walks Out Over Ajaokuta Steel Delays
A tense session of the Senate Committee on Mines and Steel Development ended abruptly on Wednesday when Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stormed out following a heated verbal clash with committee Chairman Patrick Ndubueze (Imo North).
The confrontation erupted toward the close of a three-hour-plus meeting where Minister of Steel Development Shuaibu Audu defended his ministry’s 2026 budget proposal. As discussions wound down, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan pressed for answers on the persistent non-operational status of the Ajaokuta Steel Company—located squarely in her senatorial district.
When Chairman Ndubueze ruled that the committee had concluded its scrutiny of the minister and advised her to save further questions for a future session, the Kogi senator refused to back down. She insisted on speaking despite not being formally recognised again.
The chairman reminded her she had already asked several questions earlier and urged adherence to parliamentary procedure. Undeterred, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan continued, prompting Ndubueze to bang the gavel, declare the meeting closed, and direct the minister and his team to leave the room.
Visibly frustrated, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan walked out in protest.
During the exchange, she directly challenged the minister:
“I am the senator representing Kogi Central, and since I got into the Senate, we have only met three times. We only seem to meet at budget presentations. We just meet; we talk to the media, and then every day we fold our arms and do nothing.
“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?” she queried.
Minister Audu, himself from Kogi State, responded that details of the Memorandum of Understanding with foreign partners had already been submitted to the committee and suggested she request the documents from the leadership.
Kogi East Senator Isah Jibrin joined the critique, urging the ministry to explore domestic financing options rather than over-relying on foreign investors.
Chairman Ndubueze himself expressed dissatisfaction with the ministry’s infrequent appearances for oversight, noting reports that parts of Ajaokuta could still function with proper management.
Conceived in the late 1970s as Nigeria’s flagship industrial project, Ajaokuta was meant to drive massive job creation, upstream and downstream industries, and end dependence on imported steel. Decades of policy flip-flops, legal battles, corruption claims, and funding shortfalls have left the plant largely idle despite billions spent.
The committee resolved to schedule follow-up sessions to dive deeper into the revival options for what remains one of Nigeria’s most symbolic—and frustrating—industrial white elephants.
