Federal lawmakers on Thursday engaged in a heated argument at the National Assembly Complex during the 2025 budget defence by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
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Trouble began when Egbetokun was providing a breakdown of funds allocated for the construction of five zonal police headquarters across the country.
The police chief had barely started his presentation when a member of the House of Representatives, Mark Esset, from Akwa Ibom, stopped him in track, questioning why the details being read by the IG were not contained in the documents circulated among lawmakers.
Events took a new turn when Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, a member of the All Progressives Congress, said as a senator, he ought to have the appropriate copy of the document the IG was presenting.
Nwebonyi, who represents Ebonyi North Senatorial District said, “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 to clarify his point were fruitless as the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, Abubakar Yalleman, overruled Nwebonyi’s Point of Order, allowing the IG to continue his presentation.
Angered, Nwebonyi packed his belongings and left the budget defence session. As he exited, he exchanged heated words with several House of Representatives members who jeered at him.
Yusuf Gagdi, a member of the House of Representatives representing Panshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency of Plateau State, expressed disappointment at the incident.
He explained that the committee’s decision to allow the IG to continue speaking was in line with established parliamentary procedures.
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Gagdi added that it was inappropriate for lawmakers to interject when they did not have the floor.
When order was restored, Egbetokun resumed his presentation, pointing out that the police require adequate funding.
He also called for an end to the envelope budgetary system.
On recruitment, Egbetokun disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has increased the yearly recruitment quota from 10,000 to 30,000, a move he said would significantly enhance the Force’s performance.
He urged the National Assembly to assist the police in delivering on their mandate, stressing that “Otherwise, we are entirely dependent on budgetary allocations.
“We are glad that this committee has recognised the gross underfunding of the police.”
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