Lawmakers clash over 2025 IG budget proposal
IGP, Kayode Egbetokun
Abdullateef Fowewe
A heated argument unfolded at the National Assembly Complex as Federal Lawmakers clashed during the 2025 budget defence presented by Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Tensions rose when Egbetokun, detailed the funds earmarked for the construction of five zonal police headquarters across Nigeria.
In a video sighted by our correspondent on Friday, Egbetokun was abruptly interrupted early in his presentation by a member of the House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom, Mark Esset.
Esset raised concerns over the absence of key details in the documents circulated to lawmakers, questioning why the information Egbetokun was presenting wasn’t included in the official budget papers.
This led to a brief but intense moment of tension in the chamber.
The situation took a dramatic turn when Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, voiced his frustration, insisting that, as a senator, he should have received the correct copy of the document being presented by the IGP, further intensifying the scrutiny of the budget defence.
Nwebonyi could be heard arguing, “We are here to serve Nigerians, and Nigerians should see us as a very serious institution.
“We are not against the presentation of the IG. But I, as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, should have what the IG is reading.”
Efforts by Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi to clarify his concerns were swiftly shut down when Abubakar Yalleman, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, overruled his Point of Order, allowing the Inspector-General of Police to proceed with his presentation.
Frustrated by the dismissal, Nwebonyi gathered his belongings and left the session. As he made his exit, he exchanged sharp words with several members of the House of Representatives, who jeered at him and further intensified the tension.
