Senator Natasha not member of NCDC – Committee chair

Senator Natasha not member of NCDC – Committee chair

Chairman of the Senate Committee on the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Senator Titus Zam, has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of ignorance following a confrontation over the committee’s composition.

Akpoti-Uduaghan on Monday led a protest to the office of the NCDC committee chairman, where she alleged a deliberate effort to deny her the rights and privileges due to her as the senator representing Kogi Central.

Zam explained that the senator representing Kogi Central is not a member of the NCDC committee and therefore had no basis to be invited to its meeting.

“She’s not a member of the committee and was not invited to the budget defence meeting. Two senators from Kogi are members – indeed, Senator Sani Jubrin is my vice chairman of NCDC while Sen Sunny Karimi is a member,” he told journalists on Tuesday.

“After the budget defence meeting, Sen Natasha came several hours later to complain against her not being invited. I told her she’s not a member, so she couldn’t have been invited.

“Many other north central senators are not members because senators from other zones in Nigeria are mixed up in all the development commission committees for the purpose of national character.

“For example, Senator Pam from Plateau State too is not a member of NCDC, because Senators Plang and Lalong are members.

“She, as usual, ignorantly claimed that being from north central Nigeria, she ought to have been a member.

“A brief argument ensued, and I told her to approach the Senate committee on selection and lodge her complaint. After a back-and-forth movement, she left my office.”