There was a mild drama on Tuesday as the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige, and member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, Lagos State, James Faleke, exchanged words.
Ngige was appearing before the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Arbitrary Breach of Presidential Directives on the Suspension of Top Management and Executive Members of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund and Other Government Agencies by the Ministry.
Ngige, while being questioned by the committee, said he was on the same level with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He noted that aside from being age mates with the former Lagos governor, he also had the same political achievements with him.
“Faleke, they said is up to 60. You are near my age, but I am at least seven years older than you. I’m sure. I am of the same age with your mentor in Lagos, Asiwaju. I was governor with him at the same time. He was a senator, and I was a senator. I am a two-time minister and he isn’t a two-time minister,” he said.
The lawmaker, in an apparent reference to the controversies that trailed Ngige’s election as governor of Anambra State, retorted that Tinubu won his own election “very well”.
The minister then reminded Faleke, who was a former deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kogi State, how his struggle to replace his running mate and governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, was frustrated after the latter died shortly after they both won the election.
“Mr Minister, please respond,” Faleke fired back.
“I am responding. You yab me, I will yab you 10 times. I am a Lagos boy. You are just a small boy in Lagos. Look at this boy. Mushin boy is talking to a VI boy. I live in Victoria Island,” Ngige said.