News
Drama as Senators clash during Works Ministry’s N3.24tn Budget Defence
Tension gripped the National Assembly on Wednesday as tempers flared during the 2026 budget defence session of the Ministry of Works, with Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi repeatedly clashing with the head of the committee over issues concerning Minister of Works, David Umahi.
The heated exchange briefly disrupted proceedings as lawmakers engaged in sharp disagreements while the minister presented details of the ministry’s capital expenditure plan for the coming fiscal year.
Despite the drama, Umahi proceeded with his presentation before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works, outlining a proposed ₦3.24456 trillion capital budget for 2026. He said the plan prioritises the completion of major federal highways and four key “legacy projects” initiated by the presidency.
Explaining why numerous projects were rolled over, the minister said the current administration inherited a large portfolio of ongoing works in 2023.
“When we came on board, we had to continue all the entire 2,064 projects,” Umahi told lawmakers, noting that the government could not abandon inherited infrastructure commitments.
He, however, painted a grim picture of funding constraints, disclosing that only ₦210.318 billion had been released so far from the 2025 capital allocation — representing about 9.7 per cent of the expected releases.
According to him, the shortfall has significantly slowed project execution nationwide and compounded the ministry’s financial obligations.
“The total amount owed to contractors for works done and generated certificates between 2024 and 2025 is about ₦2.2 trillion,” the minister said, highlighting the mounting liabilities confronting the sector.
Follow Us on Google Discover
2027: Kwankwaso a goat in sheep’s clothing, secretly working for Tinubu – Atiku Campaign Council
DSS arrests Maina’s fugitive son in Abuja, hands him over to EFCC
2027: Step down if you are not working for Tinubu – Deji Adeyanju dares Obi, Kwankwaso
2027: ‘I wont join my Uncle to support Tinubu’ – Davido says
Enugu NYSC death: NAFDAC debunks claims linking corps members death to fake drugs
33 Governors cannot be wrong in supporting Tinubu – Bayo Onanuga
Security forces arrest five suspects over abduction of 20 NYSC members in Imo
Rugby star Hyron Andrews dies at 31 after accidental fall in South Africa
LAUTECH Resident Doctors halt 50-day strike as Makinde intervenes
House Officers, Nurses, Radiographers, Others wanted as DELSUTH opens recruitment – Apply Now
FG raises health fund allocation to N40.76bn, extends insurance to prison inmates
Erisco Foods announces 13 job openings across Nigeria – Apply Now
Tinubu reappoints Bala Bila as INEC commissioner, nominates six others
2027: ‘Don’t trust your destiny to ‘kalokalo’ people’ – Wike warns Rivers voters against Atiku, Amaechi, Obi
BREAKING: Cross River PDP Chairman Venatius Ikem resigns, cites leadership crisis
Erisco Foods announces 13 job openings across Nigeria – Apply Now
2027: Atiku, Obi, Makinde, Adebayo, Duke hold talks with six opposition parties
Ex-Senator Bello Mandiya’s body found in Abuja home three days after he slipped, hit his head in the bathroom
‘You Betrayed Osun People’ — Adeleke, Davido face backlash over support for Tinubu
Tinubu reappoints Bala Bila as INEC commissioner, nominates six others
JUST IN: Finnish Appeal Court reduces Simon Ekpa’s jail term to four years, upholds terrorism conviction
Zamfara govt set to empower 36,176 residents with Dangote shares
Over 10 soldiers, four civilians feared dead as Boko Haram terrorists attack Borno military base
Umahi reopens first Niger bridge after emergency repairs, displays Tinubu’s photos
‘I love Islam, I’ve sent people to Mecca to pray for me, Nigeria for 25 years’ – Akpabio
Lagos govt announces 3-day traffic diversion on Independence bridge for emergency repairs
Panic in Rivers community as pipeline explosion injures 20, razes over 50 houses
Tension escalates as thugs attack NDC secretariat in Edo, destroy properties
‘Local champion’ – Donald Duke takes fresh swipe at Gov Diri over Lagos-Calabar coastal highway
