A heated session erupted at the National Assembly on Friday during the 2025 budget defence presentation by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The incident occurred when Senators and House Representatives discovered that budget documents had not been made available in advance.
Minister of Petroleum (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, and Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, were present at the session.
The lawmakers’ anger boiled over, with one member directly confronting Ekpo.
Lokpobiri later apologized for the mix-up, assuring the committee that the delay was unintentional and reaffirming the ministry’s respect for the National Assembly.
During the presentation, Ekpo highlighted the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing explosions in the petroleum sector and expanding the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cleaner energy source.
He also revealed that the government had released N222 billion to six companies to support midstream and downstream infrastructure development.
The proposed 2025 budget for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources stands at N4.25 billion, with allocations for personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures.
The session also reviewed the ministry’s 2024 budget performance, noting achievements in oil and gas sector reforms.