VIDEO: Minister, Lawmaker Trade Words during House Hearing

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There was a mild drama on Tuesday at the House of Representatives  during a hearing of an ad-hoc committee of the House between the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and an All Progressives Congress lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke.

The ad hoc committee was discussing the suspension of the management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), before the minister and the lawmaker began to trade words.

When asked to explain the reason for the suspension, Ngige began by saying that the lawmakers were “his younger brothers,” except Faleke whom he said “might be up to 60 years. The lawmaker quickly interrupted the minister and said he was 60 years old.  But the minister replied by saying the lawmaker was a “small boy.”

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Ngige said he was of the same age bracket with Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, who is Faleke’s political godfather.

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The minister said, “So you are near my age, at least I am seven years older than you. I am  very sure of that.  I’m the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. And I was governor with him at the same time. He was a senator, I was a senator. I am a two-time minister but he isn’t a two-time minister.”

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Thereafter Faleke told the minister : “But he (Tinubu) won all his elections very well.” This was in apparent reference to the election that nullified Ngige’s election as Anambra State governor in 2006. To this, the minister responded: “no problem about that, just like you won your own in Kogi State very well. And you are now the deputy governor and governor of Kogi State.”

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Recall Faleke was the running mate to Abubakar Audu in the 2015 Kogi governorship election but Audu suddenly died before he was declared winner, hence Faleke lost out of the race.

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At that point, Faleke tried to redirect the discussion  by asking the minister to respond to the questions, but Ngige said, “I’m responding my friend, if you yab  me, I yab you ten times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this Mushin boy, he’s talking to a VI boy. I lived in Victoria Island. Look at this Mushin boy from Kogi.”

There has been controversy over the suspension of the management of the NSITF.

In a letter dated July 1, 2020 and addressed to Adebayo Somefun, managing director of NSITF, Ngige had said that  President Muhammadu Buhari had approved  the suspension of  Somefun’s-led board  over “misappropriation and other gross misconduct.

READ ALSO: BREAKING:Ekiti Governor, Fayemi, contracts COVID-19

Somefun was  subsequently instructed to hand over to the most senior official in the board and face a panel that would investigate procurement dealings of the agency from 2017 to 2020.

 

 

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