The minister of works, David Umahi, and Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, engaged in a tense exchange on Wednesday during plenary in the senate.
The confrontation arose amid discussions on the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, with Oshiomhole questioning the minister over funding transparency and reported delays.
An apparently irritated Umahi accused the senator of employing “foul language” and showing him disrespect. Both officials belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Sir, are you judging or asking me questions?” Umahi had asked as Oshiomhole pressed him for clarification.
“You are not entitled to interrupt me,” Oshiomhole retorted.
A visibly furious Umahi responded with: “You can’t use foul language on me. I’m a distinguished Nigerian. You cannot speak to me in that manner.”
Oshiomhole, a former national chairman of the APC, countered the remark, drawing reactions from some senators and the committee chairman, who appeared to side with the former labour leader while cautioning Umahi.
“Mind your language. You were in this senate for how long? Two months. Two-month senator,” one of the lawmakers remarked humorously.
The committee chairman later stepped in, appealing to both men to remain orderly and continue with the proceedings.
Oshiomhole subsequently praised President Bola Tinubu for discontinuing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited funding framework for road projects, stating that tax credit arrangements were “very difficult to monitor transparency”.
In response, Umahi described the transition to private sector financing as beneficial but pointed out that setbacks had occurred because the federal minister of finance had not released approved funds.
He assured the committee that the president was not aware of the funding delay.