The Nigerian senate has told the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, that it suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natsha Akpoti-Uduaghan for gross misconduct and not because of her sexual allegation on Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

This was as the complaint laid by the lawmaker at the United Nations Inter parliamentary conference in New York has continued to attract reactions.

Recall that Senator Natasha had taken her case before the global institution for them to prevail over what she said was an injustice meted on her.

After listening to her complaint, the IPU assured Senator Natasha of taking necessary steps to address the complaints she brought to the union after listening to the other side.

The Nigerian Senate has, however, replied to Senator Natasha’s complaint to the IPU through a letter by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

The letter was read by the Chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, who is attending the event in an official capacity representing Nigeria.

“Senator Natasha-Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for gross misconduct and unruly behaviour and not as a result of allegation of sexual harassment or assault.

“The authority of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria firmly refutes the deliberate misinformation and false narrative being circulated by certain media organisations regarding the sixth months suspension of Senator Natsaha-Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“Let it be unequivocally stated that Uduaghan was suspended solely for her persistent act of misconduct and disregard for the Senate Standing Orders,” the Senate letter read in part.

Ogbara, however, demanded a comprehensive probe into the allegation by Senator Natasha against Akpabio.

She maintained that procedures and necessary actions under the Senate rules were observed before Senator Natasha’s suspension.

It could be recalled that last week, the Senate suspended the lawmaker in a move that has continued to generate debates across the country.

She had initially submitted a petition to the Senate accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment. But the lawmakers threw it out before suspending her, even after submitting another petition.

Meanwhile, Senator Natasha vowed to continue the fight against injustice.

However, following the suspension, Akpabio denied the accusations and maintained he has never assaulted women.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.

The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.

Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.

George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.

He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.

“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.

“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.

“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.

“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.

“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.

“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.

Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.

He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?

“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.

“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.

The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, has ordered an immediate investigation into the industrial accident that occurred at a steel plant in the Ogijo area of Sagamu Local Government, Ogun State, on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Prince Audu in a statement signed and made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, which resulted in casualties, and extended condolences to the families of those affected.

“The Ministry of Steel Development wishes to commiserate with the families of the affected persons who may have either lost loved ones or suffered injuries from this accident, particularly the Sagamu Local Government and the Ogun State Government at this difficult time,” Audu said.

He assured that the government would take decisive steps to determine both the immediate and remote causes of the accident, emphasizing that industrial safety must be prioritized to prevent future occurrences.

“The Ministry is currently putting in place effective modalities to ensure the sanitization of the steel industry in Nigeria and shall immediately conduct a thorough investigation. Necessary steps will be taken to ensure that this unfortunate incident does not reoccur,” he stated.

The Minister also called on all stakeholders in the steel sector to collaborate in enhancing workplace safety while pledging the government’s continued support for the industry’s growth.

“We will continue to create an enabling environment for the development of the steel industry in Nigeria to catalyze the industrial development of the nation,” he added.

The tragic accident has reignited discussions on safety compliance in Nigeria’s steel industry, with experts urging stricter enforcement of regulations to protect workers.

Daily Sun