Kogi PDP Chair Backs Natasha’s Plea Over Steel Company
The Peoples Democratic Party chairman in Kogi State, Muhammed Gambo, has expressed the party’s full support for senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, declaring, “You are our pride, we stand with you.”
The statement followed the senator’s plea for funding to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Company during a budget defence session, which reportedly led to a heated exchange with the Senate committee chairman, Patrick Ndubueze.
THE WHISTLER reports that the Federal Government, on Tuesday, proposed to spend N6.04bn on personnel costs for workers of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited in the 2026 budget, even though the steel plant has not produced a single sheet of steel for more than four decades after it was conceived.
Details from the 2026 Appropriation Bill show that Ajaokuta was allocated a total of N6.69bn for the year, with personnel expenses alone accounting for N6.04bn, or about 90.4 per cent of the entire allocation.
However, in a statement issued on Friday in Lokoja, Gambo praised Akpoti-Uduaghan’s representation, saying it reflected the wishes of the people of Kogi State.
He urged her to remain focused and not be distracted by attempts to undermine her efforts.
“The senator’s passion for Ajaokuta Steel is not new; it is a promise she made during her campaign,” Gambo said.
The PDP chairman described her as “a pride of the 10th Senate” and expressed confidence in her ability to deliver results.
He also emphasised the importance of a viable steel industry to Nigeria’s socio-economic development and technological transformation.
Kogi PDP Chair Backs Natasha’s Plea Over Steel Company is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
