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  • How to clean up budget process, by Jibrin

    How to clean up budget process, by Jibrin

    Ousted Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin ( APC, Kano ) has said  transparency in the nation’s budgeting process is the only means to avoid manipulations and padding of the document.

    Jibrin, in a statement yesterday said e – parliament, one of the key points on the Legislative Agenda of Speaker Yakubu Dogara is the an effective way of making the budget process responsive.

    Among other factors he listed,  Jibrin said e – parliament would allow Nigerian to follow the due process.

    The statement reads: “The most important reform here is to ensure that budget estimates and details are returned to the floor of the House at the same time for passage.

    “This will check the fraudulent insertions by some standing Committee Chairmen and Principal Officers in the process of budget passage.

    “It is such gap that allowed Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa, Leo Ogor and few other committee Chairmen to perpetrate such monumental fraud in the 2016 budget.

    “On the mismanagement of the internal budget of the House, the most important reform the House must embark on immediately is to ensure that the internal budget of the House must be circulated to members and made public so that Nigerians can see the expenditure of its elected officials.

    “The running cost of members must be adjusted to a reasonable amount and made public but most importantly, the administration of the running cost must not be exposed to abuses as presently obtained.

    “If these measures are carried out, we will not see such secrecy in running cost and monumental fraud in the management of the finances of the House and award of fraudulent and fictitious contracts under the watch of Speaker Dogara and the Chairman Houses services, Babanle Ila.

  • How I, Dogara, principal officers diverted N10b -Jibrin

    How I, Dogara, principal officers diverted N10b -Jibrin

    •Speaker, ex-Appropriation chair in SMS war ahead of resumption

    The sacked chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation,  Abdulmumin Jibrin, has revealed how principal officers of the House allegedly diverted various sums of money.

    According to him, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other House leaders allegedly diverted over N10b meant for the personal running cost of members. This is coming as members have taken their war to the telecommunication sphere.

    Jibrin said the running cost was not part of the salaries of the lawmakers, and therefore wants the anti-corruption agencies to step in and investigate.

    He described the running cost as part of the corruption confronting the institution. According to him, “It should be noted, however, that money is voted as ‘running cost’ to members apart from salaries.

    “You don’t need a professor or a committee of technocrats to tell you what is reasonable as running cost for member of the House and also how the money should be administered and who should be the recipient of the money.

    “The way the allowances of members are currently structured cannot pass the integrity test of any of the aforesaid. The issue of allowances of Members of the House is another systemic corruption.

    “Since you cannot afford the systemic shock if you go all out and arrest 200 to 300 members at once, what you do is to deal with the issues in phases.

    “Today, I will start with the 10 principal officers of the House of Representatives. If just these 10 are named and shamed, it will force reform in the House. I will therefore provide what each one of them had collected as “office running cost” in their entire stay in the House.

    “If any one of them disputes my figure, he or she should not make a drama out of it but just simply tell the country how much he or she has collected.

    “Running cost is a money collected by many members (with a few exception) and used as personal funds. No more, no less – case closed! Most of these members use it to acquire properties, cars and live a life of luxury they never lived before coming to the House.

    “Though there exist systems for retirement of such money but a simple investigation by a primary school pupil will reveal the massive fraud therein.

    “From computation of various sub heads of allowances of the House, Speaker Yakubu Dogara has been in the House from 2007 to date. He has received about N1.5billion. Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun has been in the house from 2011 to date. He has received about N800million.

    “House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has been in the House from 2003 to date. He has received about N1.2billion. Deputy House Leader Buba has been in the House from 2007 to date.  He received about N1.2billion.

    “Whip Alhassan Doguwa has been in the House from 2003 to date. He has received about N1.2 billion. Deputy Whip Pally Iriase has been in the house from 2011 to date. He has received N700 million.

    “Minority Leader Leo Ogor has been in the House from 2007 to date. He has received N1.2 billion. Deputy Minority Leader Barde has been in the House from 2011 to date. He has received N700 million. Minority Whip Chuma has been in the House from 2007 to date.

    “He has received N800 million. And finally, Deputy Minority Whip Binta has been in the House from 2011 to date. She has received N700 million.

    “So in between these 10 principal Officers, the country has pumped about N10 billion – and still counting! As I have mentioned earlier, in most cases with few exceptions, these funds are diverted for personal use.

    “I will provide further breakdown of these figures in due course. I will also provide 50 additional names of members with worst cases of diversion of such funds in due course so we can name and shame them.

    “As we continue this struggle to wipe out corruption and restore sanity in the House of Representatives, I will continue to urge Nigerians to remain vigilant as these corrupt elements can go to any length to change the narration and evade justice.”

    Meanwhile, fear has gripped some members of the National Assembly following hints by the Police that they would be proceeding with their planned questioning of Dogara  over the padding allegations made by Jibrin.

    It was gathered that during the week many of the lawmakers who were involved in the 2016 budget processes were asking questions about the police planned inquisition.

    Sources revealed that some of them who had travelled abroad are back in Abuja where endless meetings are daily held to discuss the padding crisis.

    National Assembly sources had talked about a plan by a group of federal lawmakers to scuttle the planned probe by raising false alarms that certain individuals are being targeted for victimization by the presidency as soon as the national assembly reconvenes.

    A reliable source said the plan was the outcome of a meeting held at the Abuja home of a Southeast Senator on Friday.

    “The plan is to discredit the police probe even before it kicks off. Many of those who had one hand or the other in the processes that gave birth to the 2016 budget are scared stiff that police investigations into the padding allegation will no doubt uncover their involvements. Many of them are anxiously finding ways to avert being indicted by the probe.

    “Those having sleepless nights over this padding issue are not just members of the House of Representatives; some Senators are also worried they may be indicted.”

    When contacted, one of the lawmakers mentioned by Jibrin in his allegations, admitted that some lawmakers met in Abuja to discuss the development, but said there is nothing like fear amongst them. Instead, he said the meetings were to discuss how to respond to Jibrin’s incessant allegations in the interest of the national assembly and its leaderships.

    “It is not true to say we are afraid of being probed. It is going to be Jibrin’s words against ours when the probe starts. So there is not talk of anxiety or fear at all. It is true we have met on a number of occasions. We have to meet though the House is on recess. There is need to decide how to react to the many lies being told by Jibrin on a daily basis. Don’t forget the party said all parties should stop the media exchanges, but he didn’t stop.”

    In the meantime, members are now locked in an SMS war to woo as many members as possible to their side ahead of the September resumption from recess.

    The two sides are poised to put their popularity to test on the floor of the Green Chamber following the damaging allegations made by Jibrin that Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuff Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Minority Leader Leo Ogor and nine others inserted about 2000 projects worth N284 billion into the 2016 budget.

    They have resorted to sending text messages to their colleagues telling their own stories and pleading for support once they resume. They were originally scheduled to resume on September 7 but this has now been fixed for after the Eid el Kabir .

    The Jibrin camp fears that the House leadership plans to suspend him, and does not want him humiliated.

    On the other hand anti-Dogara Reps want the Speaker to resign or step aside pending investigation of the allegations made by Jibrin.

    The Speakers’ supporters do not want that.

    Instead they are mobilizing effort to get enough members to give him a vote of confidence at the first seating when the House reconvenes.

    According to sources, nearly all members, except known die-hard anti-Dogara legislators, are daily bombarded with calls and text messages soliciting their understanding and support for the Bauchi-born politician.

    “I still got a call and two text messages today soliciting my understanding and support for the Speaker,” a Rep said yesterday.

    When contacted over the phone for response to the latest allegation, Dogara’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan asked our reporter to contact House spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas.

    Namdas however,                                                       said the House would not respond to the allegations and wondered why Jibrin could not wait for the anti-graft agencies to which he submitted petitions do their job.

    “The party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has directed all parties to stop commenting publicly on the matter. We abide by the party’s directive,” he said.

    Ogor on his part said he would no longer exchange words with Jibrin over the budget padding controversy or any other related issue.

    “I will not have any altercation with Jibrin over this issue again, I think I have spoken enough about the issue. I have made between 10 and 15 comments about the issues raised by Jibrin since the controversy broke out and no matter what he says again, as far as I am concerned, I will not make further comments until the House resumes.”

    However, House Whip Doguwa said Jibrin said nothing new.

    “There is nothing new to respond to. As far as I am concerned, all that Jibrin had said and whatever he may have to say in the future are not true,” he said.

    Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila could not be reached as he was away in Mauritius for the ongoing Commonwealth Parliamentary conference.

    His media aide, Olanrewaju Smart said he was not competent to speak on the issue while calls to Deputy Minority Whip, Binta Bello were not returned as at the time of this report.

     

     

  • Jibrin links Omisore to House budget padding controversy

    Jibrin links Omisore to House budget padding controversy

    Embattled former House of Representatives Appropriation Committee Chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin has linked Senator Iyiola Omisore with the budget padding controversy.

    Omisore, who represented Osun East, was the chairman of the seventh Senate’s Appropriation Committee.

    In a letter to All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun in which he urged him to advise House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara to resign, Jibrin alleged an unholy alliance between Dogara and Omisore.

    In the letter, dated August 12, Jibrin said Dogara’s exit would enable the House “nominate a Speaker Pro Tempore and mobilise our members to support him to take over and adjourn the House until when we are due for resumption in September”.

    “This will give room for consultations on the election of a new Speaker when we resume,” he said.

    He urged the party “to discuss on the possibility of returning the N100 billion constituency component of the budget under any of our laws so that all stolen money can be returned, particularly the N40 billion naira and equitably distributed to all constituencies.”

    The office of the speaker declined to react to Jibrin’s letter yesterday.

    On Omisore’s role, he said: “His godfather is Senator Iyiola Omisore. During the build up to the appointment of committee chairmen, I had a terrible disagreement with him (Dogara). While in  London, before the appointment of committee chairmen, Jibrin claimed that Dogara “pleaded with me to join him at a house in London. I went and I saw him seated very comfortably with Senator Omisore. It was there he said he was going to appoint me as chairman, Appropriations and I should be reporting to Omisore

    “I was completely shocked. A nice lunch was served; we ate and we left. At least, there are CCTVs in London. I confided in a highly-placed person who I wouldn’t want to mention his name. He advised me to remain calm and concentrate on my job. My refusal to comply with such questionable instructions largely accounted for the anger of Mr. Speaker towards me.

    “It was much later that I realised that Senator Omisore had adopted Speaker Dogara as a godson since their days as Chairman Appropriations and House Services in the sixth Assembly respectively.”

    Jibrin also accused Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal of not supporting his appointment as Appropriations Committee chairman.

    Jibrin said Dogara was “more interested in telling me about the forces who didn’t want me to be appointed chairman, appropriations as if I cared. He mentioned former Speaker and present Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as one. That is how narrow-minded Dogara can be.”

  • Will Jibrin become NASS hero at 40?

    As the fireworks between Speaker Yakubu Dogara, three other principal officers and former chairman of the House Appropriation Committee continue, the question on the lips of many Nigerians is: will Jibrin become the first anti-corruption hero of the National Assembly?

    Jibrin, regarded as extremely influential in the house, is believed to be the godfather of Dogara, as he was believed to have funded his election and mobilised the necessary support. He raised 20 allegations bordering on corruption against Dogara.

    Dogara countered with allegations of immaturity, betrayal and breach of trust against Jibrin. While Jibrin responded swiftly to all the allegations against him, Speaker Dogara is yet to respond to any of the allegations jibrin raised.

    The interesting thing is the damming disclosure that Jibrin has continued to make via his Twitter handle. He has thrown asymmetric shock into the National Assembly and the country as a whole. Dogara had threatened Jibrin with legal action but Jibrin responded that he stood on his points and would never apologise to a shameless fraud in high office.

    His explosive interview on Channels TV sent shock waves across the country. He has dragged Dogara, the three other principal officers and nine chairmen of standing committees of the House to the anti-graft agencies, accusing them of corruption.

    His party, the APC has intervened, but many believe that the matter has gone out of hand. It looks likely that Dogara is on his way out. Many questioned why Jibrin is opening up after falling out with Dogara.

    He responded that he is a product of the establishment but never felt comfortable with it. He added that for things like this to happen, there must be a trigger, no matter how unattractive it might be.

    Many believe that Hon Jibrin has shown exceptional courage and if he stands his ground without caving in, he might turn the unlikely hero in a country that hinges its hope on the National Assembly. He has called himself ‘the accidental activist’; a befitting cap as he celebrates his 40th birthday on September 9.

  • Dogara bribing members with $25,000, claims Jibrin

    Dogara bribing members with $25,000, claims Jibrin

    There was a twist yesterday in the budget padding scandal rocking the House of Representatives.

    Former House Appropriation Committee chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin, who blew the lid off the scandal, alleged that the Speaker Yakubu Dogara has started giving members $25,000 each to pass a vote of confidence on him.

    His allegation came amid preparations by the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) for its session tomorrow with Dogara, his deputy Yussuf Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor.

    He said members were being wooed to frustrate plans to remove Dogara.

    Investigation showed that the SIP spent hours going through the volume of documents before it.

    A top source said: “We have been going through the petition and sieving  all the documents submitted to the panel by Jibrin. So far, we have collated all the allegations in readiness for Friday’s (tomorrow’s) session with Dogara and others. We may invite more members of the House but we have decided on a piecemeal approach.

    “After quizzing the first set of four principal officers, we will then go to others implicated in the N284billion budget padding deal.”

    On his Twitter handle  Jibrin accused Zakari Mohammed, Jagaba Adams Jagaba and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker, CID Maduabum as the coordinators of the$25,000  bribe.

    He said: “Fellow Nigerians, in a desperate attempt, Speaker Dogara and the three others have opened a register for a vote of confidence signature.

    “The register is opened at his Asokoro Guest House located at Wilberforce Juta Crescent. Hon. Members are  given $25,000 to sign.

    “This disgraceful act is coordinated by Hon. Zakari Mohammed, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker, Hon. CID Maduabum.

    “My stand is that Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa and Ogor must listen to Nigerians, reconvene the House immediately and step aside.

    “Investigation by the anti-graft agencies is already on and I pledge to support the investigation and prosecution of these corrupt public officers.

    “I am also obliged to respond to some allegations that I am sponsored by some external forces to destabilise the House.

    “The worthless and laughable allegation is orchestrated by Speaker Dogara and others to discredit my unstoppable mission.

    “No external forces in this matter. If there are any, they deserve commendation for sponsoring a struggle to wipe out corruption in the House.

    “He will soon resort to religious blackmail forgetting I was the one, Muslim from the Northwest that spearheaded and mobilized resources for his election.”

    Zakari has denied involvement in any bribe-for-vote of confidence for Dogara.

    In a statement in Abuja Zakari’s revelation of fresh allegation of bribery scandal in the House.

    Zakari said: “I have just come across another satanic tweet today by the ousted Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdumumin Jibrin that I was coordinating the sharing of $25,000 to members of the House in return for a vote of confidence on Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    “The latest twist was one of the series which Jibrin had indulged in for the past two weeks to drag me into his one-man vitriolic assault on the leadership of the House following his replacement by the Speaker.

    “I wish to state clearly that I did not collect any bribe sum from the Speaker and I never shared $25,000 to any member of the House to seek support for the Speaker. I have rich and ethical antecedents by heritage, upbringing, education and societal moulding. I have been living within my means, I have always discharged my duties without fear or favour and I have no cause to indulge in bribery.

    “I challenge Jibrin to come to equity with clean hands. Let him release any proof at his disposal to the public on the $25, 000 bribery allegations.

    “As far as I am concerned, Jibrin is obsessed by his latter day anti-corruption paranoid. The so-called bribe-for-vote of confidence exists in his imagination. Once a member does not buy into his destruct agenda, such a person must be brought down.

    “The Speaker and other principal officers have already offered their commitment to defend every allegation against them. There is no basis for bribe-for-vote of confidence as alleged by Jibrin. Why can’t Jibrin allow the law to take its course on the allegations before the police and anti-graft agencies?

    “Recourse to self-help, name-calling, maligning of members of the House has revealed his  personal agenda against me and some selected members of the House.

    “My offence has been my opposition to the choice of Jibrin as the chairman of the Appropriation Committee. I believe he has not forgiven me for my incisive forewarning that the Speaker will regret Jibrin’s appointment.”

  • APC meets with Speaker, Jibrin to resolve dispute

    APC meets with Speaker, Jibrin to resolve dispute

    To resolve its members’ differences over the alleged padding of the budget, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has met with House Speaker Yakubu Dogara and former Appropriations Committee chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin.

    Jibrin was at the party’s Abuja secretariat yesterday and met with some National Working Committee (NWC) members.

    A similar meeting was held with Dogara.

    APC Deputy National Chairman Lawal Shuaibu, who told reporters about the Dogara meeting did not say when it was held.

    The party may have barred the protagonists from further speaking on the matter, it was learnt yesterday.

    Jibrin, who met with the party leadership for over two hours, avoided reporters’ questions after the meeting.

    He arrived at the secretariat at about 2.05 pm in a Black Landcruiser, with  registration number BWA 768 AM,  headed for Shuaibu’s office where he was recieved by National Secretary Mai Mala Buni, National Treasurer Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa and National Vice Chairman Inuwa Abdulkadir.

    Wearing a white brocade agbada with a cap to match, Jibrin did not leave the secretariat until about 5.30 pm.

    Shuaibu, who presided over the meeting, said it was called for the party to know what is happening in the House and how to resolve it.

    He said Dogara and Jibrin were APC members, adding that there was need for the party to intervene.

    He wondered the special interest of the media in the meeting, pointing out that the party leadership held a similar meeting with the Speaker.

    Shuaibu said: “These two gentlemen are members of the APC. We are not taking sides with anybody in this matter. The reason for this meeting is because they are our members and we want t get to the root of the matter. We have met with the Speaker and now we are meeting with Jibrin. It is all aimed at getting to know the details of what is happening and get to the root of the matter”.

     

  • Budget padding: Jibrin petitions EFCC

    Budget padding: Jibrin petitions EFCC

    •Don’t judge Dogara yet, says Gbajabiamila

    Former Chairman of the House of Representatives  Committee on Appropriations Abdulmumin Jibrin was yesterday at the Economic and Financial Crimes to submit a petition against Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Jibrin said the visit was also to provide insight into his petition against the leadership of the House on   the alleged N284billion budget padding.

    Also yesterday, House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila spoke for the first time on the issue, pleading that Dogara should not be judged by Jibrin’s allegations.

    On his Twitter handle, Jibrin said he had added the name of  Abonta Abonta to his petition.

    Abonta had some hours earlier taken up  issues with Jibrin on a political programme on Channels TV.

    Jibrin said:  “What a day! Submitted petition against Speaker Dogara and 12 others. Now, it is over to the security and anti-corruption agencies. “I added one new name to my petition, Hon. Abonta Abonta. The member who spoke after me on Channels and denied corruption exists in the House.

    “Let me use Hon. Abonta as a case. I have asked the anti-graft agencies to investigate his office running cost. Wait for the shocking outcome

    Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren said: “Jibrin was here but I do not have the details yet.”

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education, Mohammed Zakari has faulted Jibrin’s claim that he was one of those involved in budget padding.

    He said since November 2015, he had not had any dealing with Jibrin.

    Zakari, in a statement in Abuja, said: “I was shocked on Saturday to read how the immediate past Chairman of the House of Representatives, Hon.  Abdulmumin Jibrin,  was casting aspersions on me as part of his rantings over his removal by the House leadership. It was obvious his tweets were designed to drag every credible members of the House along because he does not want to bear his travails on the mismanagement of the consideration of 2016 Budget alone.

    “His mud-racking at me was the second in a week.”

    Ordinarily, I would have ignored his face-saving tweets but the fact that he is deceptively carrying many Nigerians along makes it imperative to protect my hard-earned integrity and about 10 years of unblemished career as a political office holders.

    “Prior to joining politics, I worked as a civil servant for 14 years with outstanding records. I cannot allow a desperado, who is also a gold digger, to rubbish my impeccable integrity.

    “I have not spoken or had personal contact with Jibrin since November 2015 because I have always had reservations on his conduct and overrated expertise in budgeting. He held every member in contempt and arrogated usurped powers to himself. He was so overwhelmed by his ambition to drag me into his plot to the extent that he referred to me as the chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education. He exposed his agenda of a revenge mission against me.

    “I wish to place on record that throughout the period of consideration of the 2016 Appropriation Act, I did not meet or write Jibrin for assistance to include any item or projects.

    “ I concentrated on my job as the Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education. The proposals for Basic Education were easier in treating because the enabling Act of UBEC is explicit on how it should be funded.

    “For the avoidance  of doubt, I  want to state that my submission on the 2016 budget was a product of my committee’s relentless work, in conjunction with the Senate Committee on Basic Education. I challenge Jibrin to point out the specific areas that my committee fell short of its duties.

    “In addition, this is my 5th year in the National Assembly I have never heard of a budget being padded. What a sitting President brings to the National Assembly, according to Section 80(1) and (2) of the  1999 Constitution is an estimate which the Legislature is expected to consider and assist the Executive in reviewing appropriations for its plans and projects for the country.

    “Jibrin should look elsewhere for his prey. “As for Jibrin’s formal  report to the EFCC, I am more than ready to appear before any agency or anywhere to prove my innocence. I have no skeletons in my cupboard.”

     

     

  • National Assembly stinks, says ex-panel chair Jibrin

    National Assembly stinks, says ex-panel chair Jibrin

    ‘There is institutional corruption’

    We want to force reform, says lawmaker

    Sacked House of Representatives Appropriations Committee chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin last night spoke of what he called “institutional corruption” at the National Assembly.

    He claimed that those behind the “massive corruption” frustrated his efforts to prevent the padding of Budget 2016.

    Jibrin was sacked for allegedly padding the budget.

    He denied the allegation, claiming that Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuff Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor wanted to use him to achieve their own ends.

    Jibrin, who accused Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa and Ogor of being behind the padding, alleged that  10 chairmen inserted 2,000 fictitious projects worth N248 billion into the budget.

    But he is being  accused of “allocating 20 projects worth N4.3billion to his constituency.”

    Dogara and the other principal officers have protested their innocence, saying Jibrin’s allegations were “mere afterthoughts manufactured simply because the House relieved him of his position”.

    Jibrin told Channels Television last night: “There is institutional corruption at the National Assembly, which we have to address.”

    He said he was interested in triggering the reform needed to combat corruption in the legislature and declared that he “is not corrupt”.

    “The case of the National Assembly today is that there is a trigger and we want to take advantage of the trigger to be able to force reform in the National Assembly. Not only reform in the budget of the National Assembly because people are looking at it from a narrow perspective. This issue is going to lead to a revolution in the National Assembly; a lot of corruption is at National Assembly. I want to use the word trigger.

    “I have been part of the institution for five years, I have not been part of any corruption, I have never shared money with members of the National Assembly; we have come to a point that we state our position. The money they alleged that I benefitted from is mere blackmail.

    “Of course, I am the chairman of Appropriation, what I did is not only to promote my constituency but Nigeria as a whole.”

    Declaring that the padding was “completely off the board” compared to the padding in the previous years, Jubrin said: ”As I explained in the last few days, there were lots of insertions in the 2016 budget from the angle of the National Assembly.

    “I discussed with the speaker that the insertions were too many. Though we (the legislature) have the power to insert but it was senseless in view of the enormity of the insertions. I fought internally to ensure that the situation was checked. The insertions were passed.

    “We did a statistics after collecting reports from the various committees. I discovered that in between the committees in the House, about 2000 projects were posted by the committees totaling about N224 billion and I was a bit worried about it.

    “For five years, I have been working on budgets and of course I have been part of the budgeting process. Since 1999 to date it has been outrageous.

    “A lot of people have been asking me why haven’t I opened up? It is a difficult system and much more complex than what people think. But, I raised the issue internally of insertions and I fought the battle of my life.”

    The lawmaker said padding has been ongoing since 1999, “What I think is wrong is when the insertion goes out of proportion.

    “Every year, there have always been insertions, which is made up constituency projects. They do often cause friction and tension between both arms of government. The only difference is that in 2016, it went completely off the board. I stand by my word that there were lots of insertions.”

  • Group to Jibrin: go to court if you have evidence

    Group to Jibrin: go to court if you have evidence

    A Coalition of Media and Civil Society groups – the Africa Media Roundtable Initiative – yesterday  advised the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on  Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin and other aggrieved lawmakers to proceed to the court, if they have credible evidence of budget padding.

    In a statement by its Executive Director, Comrade  Olabode Adeyemi, the group  said Jibrin should produce credible evidence against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the other he accused of o involvement  in padding the  2016 Budget.

    The statement said: “Rather than taking the matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), he should allow the Judiciary, which to intervene in the matter.

    “We are calling on Hon Jibrin and other aggarieved lawmakers to seek redress in the court to protect the image of the House of Representatives and not going to either the EFCC or ICPC which are the agencies of the Executives. If you approach the Court you have to swear  to an affidavit  before making your allegations and if you lie under oath, you know the consequences  under the law but you go to the ICPC or the EFCC to make such allegations, you may later make a U-turn and change you statements.

    “I can remember vividly that when the 2016 budget was passed by the National Assembly, there were insinuations in some quarters that it was padded, but Hon Jibrin that defended it. He never spoke out against the House leaders until he was sacked from the plum job. If what he is saying is true, let him go to court to seek redress.

    “We are thanking the Channels Television for repeatedly showing the whole World the video clips of his defence. Now that there was nothing like budget padding, why is he now claiming that there was budget padding by the Speaker and 10 others? If he is sure of his allegations he should go to court or shut up””.

  • Budget padding: Gombe Reps Caucus knocks Jibrin

    Budget padding: Gombe Reps Caucus knocks Jibrin

    Federal Lawmakers from Gombe State yesterday swung to the side of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Yakubu Dogara, on the allegation of inserting billions to the 2016 budget for personal gains.

    The members include Ali Isa, Gombe Caucus leader; Aishatu Jibrin Dukku, Ustaz Yunusa Ahmad Abubakar, Binta Bello,  Ismaila Muazu Hassan and Yaya Bauchi Tongo.

    Isa described the allegation by former Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, against the leadership of the House, as a “campaign of calumny.”

     The statement reads: “We, of the Gombe State caucus of the House of Representatives, wish to categorically and publicly declare that we are not part of any evil group trying to cause disaffection and instability in the House of Representatives, and we, in like manner, dissociate ourselves from any conspiracy and attack against the Speaker ,Yakubu Dogara, and the leadership of the House.

    “We are aware that the impasse is generated and orchestrated by Abdulmumin Jibrin through his wild goose claim that the 2016 federal budget was “padded” by the leadership of the House, and we are appalled and shocked that Jibrin only came out with this accusation just after the House duly sacked him as Appropriation Committee chairman over the offence of unlawfully inflating the budget in his favour!

    “And if we are to talk about this “budget padding” scandal, we want to tell the world that shortly after Jibrin was appointed chairman of the Appropriation Committee, he sent letters to members of the House of Representatives requesting them to send details of projects they want captured in the Federal Budget for their constituencies, and members complied with his circular accordingly.

    “But we are shocked and surprised that Abdulmumin Jibrin is now using these same letters to blackmail the House as guilty of padding the Federal Budget! What a shame!

    “The world, particularly Nigerians, must be told that the figures being reeled out by  Jibrin as his basis of blackmail against the leadership of the House were actually suggested by him.

    “As a matter of fact, the Appropriation Committee, under the leadership of Jibrin, initiated the allocation formula with which the constituency projects of members were inserted into the 2016 budget.

    “By reason of their leadership position, the Appropriation Committee conceded significant provisions to the principal officers, but we are even shocked that Jibrin, who is not a principal officer, allocated provisions to his constituency far beyond what the principal officers he is accusing got.”