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Tag: Yakubu Dogara

Buhari to join Saraki, Dogara for national prayers

President Muhammadu Buhari is to attend the 7th edition of the National Prayer Breakfast organized by the National Assembly, it emerged Thursday.

Buhari, who is to join the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers and lawmakers are expected to seek divine intervention for the nation’s challenges.

The prayers, put together by Christian Legislators in the National Assembly under the auspices of Christian Legislators Forum (CLF) said the seventh edition of the prayers became necessary due to the socio-economic and political challenges the country is currently going through.

President of the group, Sen. Barnabas Gemade said it was in view of the challenges that the theme of this edition was tagged ‘Tree and Its Fruits: Is Yours a Blessing or a Curse to Nigeria’ was chosen.

According to Gemade, the event Thursday 27th October 2016 at the International Conference Center (ICC) Abuja would have legislators and other policy makers in the Executive branch of government as well as members of the Judiciary in attendance.

“It is a non-denominational gathering of Christians to honour and praise God for his graces the nation and seek his face for the challenges facing it.

“The purpose of the gathering according to its organizers is to build bridges of unity and to engender harmony and progress in the polity.

“In a chaotic world like ours bedeviled with various challenges notably crisis situations, hard struggles and sufferings, we need God to usher us into a new Beginning.

“This prayer would afford us an opportunity that reminds all persons that no matter how much responsibility we have or how much power we think we hold, we are imperfect vehicles.

“We enjoin all patriotic Nigerians to join us to pray God of creation to direct our nation as one where peace and justice reigns,” he said.

October 13, 2016
Dogara, others seek reform of budget process

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said the process of preparing the budget must undergo a reform to make the budget more effective and impactful on the lives of the Nigerian people.

The Speaker, who spoke at a colloquium in Abuja on Monday regretted that since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule, national budgets have failed to yield any satisfactory result to the people.

The colloquium was organised by OrderPaper.ng.

Saying that there is an urgent need for budget reform in Nigeria, Dogara noted that any realistic, credible and lasting budget reform process will involve, among others, a review of the legal framework to ensure that the annual budget is submitted on time.

He said: “This will lead to amendment of S.81(1) CFRN, which gives the President authority to present the estimates of revenue and expenditure ‘at any time’ within a financial year.

“The imperative is of necessity to ensure that the Budget is passed on time, before the commencement of the next financial year. This may, if necessary, require that a budget time frame be included in the Constitution to bind both The Executive and Legislature.

“A clear development plan with broad national consensus should be put in place that deals with short, medium and long term plans of the nation.

“We must ensure that yearly budgets follow the development plans as much as possible, except emergencies arise. MTEF should be detailed enough to contain major projects contemplated in a three year period with approximate costings.

“Projects that are admitted to the National Budget are not properly thought through and based on actual need with relevant spread to reflect federal character of Nigeria.

“This entails that project selection process must be more transparent, need based and technically driven with justification. Discretionary and whimsical selection of projects must be downplayed.

“That the Technical capacity of both the bureaucracy and Members of both the Executive and legislative branch on budget matters is deliberately beefed up. We must as a legislature ensure during this session that the National Assembly Budget and Research Office, Bill (NABRO) is finally passed and signing into Law, to provide timely and accurate financial and economic information to the Legislature.

“There should be extensive stakeholder consultation at the executive level during preparation of the Budget.

“There must be a robust Pre-budget interface between the Executive and Legislature, to reduce areas of friction during the Appropriation process. Indeed the National Assembly should be consulted on issues of project selection.

“In any case, even though there is both constitutional and practical need and imperative for the National Assembly to work in a cooperative manner with the Executive on Budgeting matters, nevertheless, it cannot give up its constitutionally assigned responsibilities in the budget process in the guise of seeking cooperation with the Executive branch. The watchword is cooperation not abdication.

“Clear budgetary objectives and government targets to be achieved in the Budget should be clearly stated.

“Government must set out clear objectives and targets it intends to achieve during the budget year, which should be widely disseminated to all stakeholders and the Nigerian people.

“Reform of the process of the passage of the Appropriation Act in the National Assembly that encourages more openness and transparency especially at the Committee levels. The plenary of both House should be more involved in the Schedule to the Appropriation Act.

“Subjecting budget defense exercise to stakeholder involvement in a form of public hearing. Subjecting the annual budget to public scrutiny at National Assembly will give stakeholders opportunity to make their inputs and challenge incorrect assumptions in the Budget. This process will involve the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other professional bodies. We need to institutionalise this mechanism.

“Amendment of Section 82 of the Constitution to reduce the time the previous years budget will continue to run in the event that the Appropriation Act is not passed at the beginning of the Financial year from 6 months to 3 months as this distorts the Budget process.

“A critical look should be taken at the operation of Financial Year as defined in S. 318 of the Constitution. A situation where an approved budget is not allowed to operate for 12 months is constitutionally unacceptable.

“This is the main reason for failure of budget implementation every year and the cause of abandoned projects that litter the Nigerian landscape. When projects are not completed, the nation is terribly shortchanged as the money and effort invested in it is lost. In this regard, we must institute a compulsory mechanism that rolls over major projects that is not completed in one budget year into the following years budget.

“The current practice of not including on-going projects in the following year’s budget is a huge waste of resources.

“I wish to draw attention to the existence of the problem of lack of full disclosure of the appropriate size of the National budget and the actual revenue and expenditure of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“It is recommended that the Executive should look into the possibility of having just one National Budget that captures the revenues and expenditure of all MDAs, such as NNPC, CBN and other revenue generating government agencies. This should be included in the yearly Appropriation Bill.

“I must commend Mr President for formally sending the Budget of these Agencies to the National Assembly this year. The budget of these agencies should not just be an ‘attachment’ to the Appropriation Act but an integral part of the National Budget”.

While discussing the subject, Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, John Enoh regretted that too much energy was wasted on who owns the budget between the executive and the legislature.

He said it was more important to concentrate on how to translate the budget into a tool for development.

Enoh also backed the passage of the detail of the budget on the floor, saying too much powers was given to the Appropriation Committees, “It is important to confront this, because what is coming out of the budget controversy even embarrasses members of the National Assembly.

“The constitution must be amended on time so that the two arms understand their roles. There must be commitment on both sides to collaborate and they must be more serious and committed with MTEF with the executive making wider consultation with Nigerians before submission,” he added.

Imoni Amarere, General Manager, Daar Communicatiins said discussion on the budget is always too secretive and confined to the executive and the legisalture.

He advised that the media should be well carried along in the entire process of budget preparation.

September 26, 2016
Dogara involved in money laundering, Jibrin alleges

The ousted Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano ) has alleged the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to have been involved in cases of money laundering since his (Dogara) Chairmanship of House Services Committee.

Dogara was House Services Committee Chairman in the 6th and 7th House of Representatives while Jibrin, as a first timer was Finance Committee Chairman in the 7th House.

Jibrin, in a statement yesterday also alleged the Speaker to have been involved in the car purchase scandals in the House .

Dogara was Chairman, House Services Committee during the N2.3b car purchase scandal in the 6th House.

Jibrin, who accused the Speaker of not distributing the internal budget of the House to any member, said, “He operates the budget in secrecy and no member has a copy

“Speaker Dogara has supervised the mismanagement of finances of the House through wasteful award of contracts on items already in members offices

“Speaker Dogara introduced to members a fraudulent mortgage system in the House and proposed illegal deduction from members running costs

“Speaker Dogara supervised the scandalous car purchase contract in the 7th Assembly where huge sums of money in bribe was alleged

“Speaker Dogara was involved as Chairman House services in all cases of money laundering associated with the House since 2007.

“Speaker Dogara in a clear case of conflict of interest has used his office to facilitate loans from an MDA and arrange “private” meetings with MDA’s.”

August 29, 2016
Budget padding: Why Dogara, others are after me – Jibrin

Former Chairman, Appropriation Committee, House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin disclosed Thursday why the House’s Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the lower legislative chamber were bent on expelling him.

Jibrin said he attracted the wrath of the House’s leadership when, as Chairman of the Appropriation Committee he rejected alleged proposals by Dogara and others to corner about N90billion to themselves from the 2016 budget.

He made this claim in a fresh document he filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja in furtherance of his suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS:595/2016, seeking to among others, restrain the House’s leadership from suspending him from the House.

Defendants in the suit are the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dogara, Yusuf Lasun (Deputy Speaker), Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Leo Ogor, Herman Hembe, Umar Mohammed Bago, Zakari Mohammed, Chike Okafor, Dan Asuquo, Jagaba Adms, Haliru Jika and Uzoma Abonta.

In the document filed yesterday, Jibrin, an All Progressives Congress legislator, representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, said he had some conflicts with the House’s leadership because he rejected their unlawful directives.

He said, in the document – a counter affidavit – deposed to on his behalf by one of his lawyers, Nura Abdulrrahman that one of such instances was his “refusal to admit into the nation’s 2016 budget the sum of about N30b.

“His refusal to cover up the decision of the 3rd to 14th defendants’ (Dogara and others’) unilateral decision to allocate to themselves N40b out of the N100b allocated to the entire National Assembly, in addition to what he (Jibrin) considered as wasteful projects of over N20b to the 3rd – 14th defendants’ constituencies.

“Even when he (Jibrin) had given the defendants/respondents, especially the 3rd (Dogara) statistics of 2000 new projects introduced into the Appropriation Bill by less than 10 committee members, the 3rd defendant took no decision or corrective.

“When the inflation of the said budget became a matter of public interest and controversy, the defendant, especially the 3rd -14th started taking measures to avoid responsibility and to place the entire issue on the shoulders of the plaintiff so as to use him (Jibrin) as a scapegoat,” Abdulrrahman said in the counter affidavit filed in response to the defendants’ notice of preliminary objection.

Jibrin denied claim by Dogara that he (the plaintiff) was removed as the Chair of the House’s Appropriation Committee. He said he voluntarily resigned his position and informed Dogara to that effect on July 20, 2016.

As against the defendants’ claim in their objection that they were no planning to suspend Jibrin, and that the House did not intend to reconvene before the end of its vacation, Jibrin stated that Dogara and others were plotting to reopen the House and suspend him.

He urged the court to proceed to determine his case. And grant all his reliefs, which include a declaration that the decision taken by the defendants at a meeting held on August 3, 2016 to suspend the plaintiff as a member of the House of Reps without granting him the right to fair hearing is unlawful.

He also seeks a declaration that the defendants are bound to comply with the provisions of sections 49, 54, 56 and 60 of the 199 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House of Reps, regulating its sitting, procedure and other matters in the conduct of its legislative functions as provided in the Constitution and the Standing Orders made pursuant to the Constitution.

Dogara and others have, in the notice of preliminary objection they filed on Tuesday, urged the court to decline jurisdiction to hear the case and strike it out on the grounds that the suit disclosed “no reasonable cause of action.”

The Clerk, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Dr. Abel Ochigbo faulted Jibrin’s claims and stated that there was no plan to suspend him and that no meeting has been held to that effect.

Ochigbo, who deposed to the affidavit supporting the defendants’ objection, stated that all that were done during the process leading to the passage of the budget was within the law. He added that since the budget has become law, nobody could query the steps taken by the law makers.

“The 2016 Appropriation Act was duly passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President of the federal Republic of Nigeria. The issue of any officer of the House taking any decisive action against any particular member or members does not arise as the Appropriation Bill has now become the Appropriation Act.

“The issue of inflation of the 2016 budget does not arise as the Appropriation Bill was passed by the House of Representatives pursuant to powers vested in the House by the Constitution and in line with the Standing Orders of the House.

“The Bill was duly certified pursuant to the provisions of the Acts Authentication Act before it was duly assented to by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is now being executed as an Act of the National Assembly.”

Yesterday plaintiff’s lawyer, Abdulamid Mohammed informed the court that the defendants served him with their objection on Wednesday and that he has filed a response. He sought a short stand down of proceedings to enable him retrieve a copy of his response from the court’s Registry.

Defendants’ lawyer, Kalu Onuoha objected to Mohammed’s request for a stand-down. He sought an adjournment to enable him study the plaintiff’s response and decide whether or not to equally respond.

Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang noted that since it would be impossible for the court to conclude hearing in the case before the end of the court’s long vacation (September 9) it was unnecessary to commence hearing in the case during vacation.

Justice Abang, who currently sits as the court’s vacation judge, elected to return the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment after vacation.

August 25, 2016
Padding: Dogara, others must face panel – Police

•Grills Gabajabiamila for over one hour
•NASS Clerk has one-week deadline to submit draft and final copies of 2016 budget

THE Police are on course to interact with Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives on the alleged padding of the 2016 budget after resumption of the National Assembly from its current recess, The Nation can now reveal.

Also lined up for the proposed interaction are Deputy Speaker Yusuff Lasun, Chief Whip Ado Doguwa, and Minority Leader Leo Ogor.

Saddled with the assignment is the Police Special Investigative Panel which, according to sources has had a session with House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila.

Gbajabiamila who had been out of the country said on Friday that he was offering himself to the law enforcement agencies for probe over the budget padding allegation.

Although his name has not featured among those listed by the sacked chairman of the House Committee of Appropriation, Abdulmumini Jibrin, who spilled the beans, sources said the police panel had a “comprehensive session with the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila on Friday for over one hour.”

The panel has asked the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani Omolori, to submit the draft and final copies of the 2016 Budget to it within one week.

A highly placed source familiar with the development said: “We are going to interrogate the Speaker and the three principal officers implicated in the main petition of the erstwhile Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin.

“Once they return from recess, we will ask them to report. Already, a letter of invitation has been served on them. It is still subsisting.

“The initial argument is that the Speaker is the nation’s number four citizen and the modalities of summoning him ought to be different. But we have checked the statute books, neither Dogara nor any of the principal officers has immunity from investigation and prosecution.

“We have not foreclosed investigation into the alleged budget padding. Whoever is talking of any other solution than this ongoing probe might be referring to another platform.”

The source said the commitment attached to the investigation accounts for non-reopening of the office of the Appropriation Committee in the House which was locked following the budget padding allegations and the counter allegations.

“Until we have conducted substantial investigation, the office will still be firmly locked by security agencies. That is a strong room of exhibits,” the source said.

Asked of the extent of investigation, the source added: “We have got sufficient documents for preliminary investigation which is already in progress.

“The Clerk of the National Assembly has up till next week to submit the draft and final copies of the 2016 Budget to the panel.

“All we need now is to interact with the four principal officers immediately they return from recess. If they fail to report, the law has a provision for taking card of such.”

The source confirmed that 10 chairmen of committees in the House will take their turn after the four principal officers.”

On the appearance of House Leader Gbajabiamila before the SIP, the source said: “Although Jibrin did not mention his name in his petition and addendum, he had audience with us on Friday for over one hour.

“It was a comprehensive session which provided more insights into the workings of the House. We hope other leaders in the chamber will emulate him.

“Gbajabiamila came in voluntarily and we took his statement, which is a loaded document on oath.”

Dogara said last week that he was not above the law following the barrage of criticisms that followed his initial statement that no one could probe what he does on the floor of the House as a member and Speaker.

He denied reports that suggested that he could not be investigated or prosecuted over the scandal.

He also said reports credited to him as saying padding was no offence under the law were untrue.

He said his comments on the alleged budget padding were a misrepresentation with and Nigerians now seeing him as insensitive to their feelings.

His Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan said: “while responding to questions at the Civil Society Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Thursday 12th August, Dogara made reference to Sections 3, 24 and 30 of the Legislative Houses ( Powers and Privileges ) Act to buttress the point that the legislature while carrying out its constitutional responsibilities is protected by law.

“He did not say or mean that he is above the laws of the land or that he is shielded by the law or has immunity for any infractions of the law.

“This clear restatement of the law has been twisted by sections of the media to mean that neither security agencies nor the courts could investigate or prosecute or try him!

“This is most uncharitable and a deliberate and calculated attempt to pitch the Speaker against the Nigerian public and paint him as lawless.

“As an Officer in the Temple of Justice, Dogara not only owes unalloyed allegiance to the Judiciary but also to the institutions of law enforcement. He indeed swore to an Oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Dogara should not be portrayed as insensitive or arrogant as this is contrary to his true nature of humility and humaneness that has endeared him to his colleagues and Nigerians.”

August 21, 2016
Buhari meets Dogara, Bakare in Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed-doors with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and the General Overseer of Later Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting with Dogara which took place at the President’s office in the State House lasted about one hour.

The Speaker was accompanied to the Villa by some lawmakers from the National Assembly including Senator Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi).

Friday’s meeting between the President and Dogara was the second in two weeks.

The Speaker snubbed all questions from journalists at the end of the meeting.

Pastor Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election.

The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

August 19, 2016
Budget Padding: Jibrin’s allegations baseless – Principal Officers

The body of Principal Officers of the House of Representatives for the first time collectively responded to the allegations of budget padding by former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin,

The principal officers in a statement signed by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff, the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila and seven other members described Jibrin’s allegations as “wild, baseless and unfounded.”

The statement reads: ” In recent weeks, the nation’s public space has been inundated with a treatise of discuss centered around the concept “Budget Padding”, newly introduced into the lexicon of the Nigerian legislative Appropriation process.

“The proponent, the recently sacked Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin sought to make allegations of impropriety against the leadership of the House over the process and content of the 2016 budget passed by the National Assembly and signed into law.

“While the leadership is determined to ensure that absolute diligence, maturity and due process are employed in dealing with the allegations, instead of joining the accuser in a press war, it is important to state, in the interest of the agitated public, that the allegations are wild, baseless and unfounded. Good enough, all the said allegations raise issues that can be easily verified and the public will be availed ample opportunity upon the resumption of the House.

“In the meantime however, the Leadership of the House of Representatives wishes to reaffirm that it took collective action, in conjunction with the Senate and a team from the Executive, to rescue the 2016 Budget when it became obvious that the former appropriation Chairman had placed both the document and the process in jeopardy resulting in a spate of agitations from Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

“Furthermore, the decision to relieve the erstwhile Appropriation Chairman of his position was a collective decision of the leadership in response to unrelenting pressures from the overwhelming majority of Honorable Members who were irked by the former Chairman’s gross abuse of the budget process. Both actions were taken in the best interest of the institution and the nation for which we take full responsibility.

“Truth may be slow but it usually always wins the race in the end. We have no doubts.”

Others whose signatures are on the statement include: Chief Whip, Hon Alhassan Doguwa, Deputy House Leader, Hon Umar Jibril, Minority Leader, Hon Leo Ogor, Minority Whip, Hon. Yakubu Barde, Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Chukwuka Onyema, Deputy Minority Whip, Hon Binta Bello and Deputy Majority Whip, Pally Iriase

August 18, 2016
Budget padding: Dogara makes U-turn, says ‘I am not above the law’

Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives appears to have modified his stance on the propriety of the alleged padding in this year’s budget in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly.

Dogara yesterday denied reports suggesting that he could not be investigated or prosecuted over the scandal.

He also said reports credited to him as saying padding was no offence under the law were untrue.

He said his comments on the alleged budget padding were misrepresented and Nigerians now see him as insensitive to their feelings.

Dogara spoke yesterday through his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan.

Hassan in a statement in Abuja said that his principal’s correct position on the issue is that padding is a strange phenomenon to the budget and nothing untoward was done by the House and indeed the National Assembly with respect to the 2016 budget.

For the umpteenth time, he dismissed all the allegations of budget padding levied at him by the former Appropriation committee Chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin as fictional.

Alleging gross misrepresentation of Dogara’s comments by the press, Hassan said:”The first was at the State House after his meeting with Mr. President where he informed the press that ‘padding’ was unknown to the lexicon of the legislature and Nigerian law.

“By this, the Speaker clearly asserted that nothing undertaken by the legislature in the ordinary course of the budget process could be alluded to either as padding or an infraction of any law.

“Unfortunately the media reported him as saying that ‘padding’ was not a crime. This tended to insinuate that the Speaker admitted there was budget padding but that this did not constitute a crime.

“There could be nothing farther from the truth. The Speaker’s assertion was and remains that nothing untoward had been done by the House and indeed the National Assembly with respect to the 2016 budget.

“In the second instance, while responding to questions at the Civil Society Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Thursday 12th August, Hon Dogara made reference to Sections 3, 24 and 30 of the Legislative Houses ( Powers and Privileges ) Act to buttress the point that the legislature while carrying out its constitutional responsibilities is protected by law.

“He did not say or mean that he is above the laws of the land or that he is shielded by the law or has immunity for any infractions of the law.

“This clear restatement of the law has been twisted by sections of the media to mean that neither security agencies nor the courts could investigate or prosecute or try him!

“This is most uncharitable and a deliberate and calculated attempt to pitch the Speaker against the Nigerian public and paint him as lawless.

“As an Officer in the Temple of Justice, Dogara not only owes unalloyed allegiance to the Judiciary but also to the institutions of law enforcement. He indeed swore to an Oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Dogara should not be portrayed as insensitive or arrogant as this is contrary to his true nature of humility and humaneness that has endeared him to his colleagues and Nigerians.

“Indeed, Dogara had initially adopted silence as his response, but having observed the grievous damage Jibrin’s extensive misrepresentations and lies was inflicting on the country and distracting our common and urgent resolve to tackle our distressed economy and security challenges, he opted to offer some explanations on the issues as continuous silence may have amounted to insensitivity, admission or arrogance.

“Mr. Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, wishes to reiterate and assure all Nigerians that no kobo belonging to Nigerians has been misappropriated, stolen or lost in this budget saga.

“There was no act of corruption by him during and after the preparation of the 2016 budget. Mr. Speaker urges all Nigerians to be vigilant with respect to execution of 2016 budget to ensure that Nigerians are not shortchanged.

“Mr. Speaker Yakubu Dogara further wishes to deny all other allegations of a personal nature heaped on him by Jibrin as they are fictional and scandalous untruths and falsehoods which will be dealt with at the appropriate fora and time.

“We wish to appeal to the public for patience as the truth which will vindicate the innocent in this unfortunate saga will unfold sooner than later”.

Dogara, emerging from a meeting with President Buhari in Abuja penultimate Friday, had told reporters in answer to a question on Jibrin’s allegation had said: “What is padding? You haven’t told me. Ask Jibrin what is padding. I studied law and I have been in the legislature and all this period I have never heard of the word padding being an offence under any law. If I don’t know, you are the media, research the law and let me know.”

A cross section of Nigerians did not take kindly to the comments and condemned him in strong terms.

A few days later, Dogara said at a forum in Abuja that the legislative business of the House, “cannot be grounded for any investigation or any procedure or proceeding to be commenced in court against a member of parliament, either the Speaker or even the Senate President, once they are done in exercise of their proper function.

“The law is there. Both communications, whatever it is, they are privileged. That is in order to give independence to the legislature. If the legislature is not independent we can’t do anything.

“If whatever you say on the floor or before a committee or whatever you communicate is subject of litigation then all the members will be in court and at the end of the day when debate come you cannot even air your views.”

August 14, 2016
‎Budget padding not possible without executive-Na’Abba

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Ghali Na’Abba, has called for proper investigation of the role played by officials in the executive arm in the current budget padding controversy.

Na’Abba made the call while answering questions from Energy Correspondents, at a workshop organised by Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) in Kano.

He said it was impossible for the budget to be padded without the connivance of government officials.

“This stealing of funds cannot be possible without active connivance with some members of the executive arm,” he said.

On calls for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to resign, Na’Abba said that the call was “unwarranted” as there was no formal indictment of the speaker.

“According to my understanding, where the issue being referred to as padding comes into play, is a situation where some members go behind and add items of expenditure to what has already been agreed upon.

“For either stealing the funds or doing whatever they feel like doing with it.

“So far, accusations are being traded amongst members of the house, but no investigation has been conducted.

“On the call for the resignation of the Speaker, the question is, what has the Speaker done to warrant his resignation?”

He called for full investigation to ascertain the level of involvement of members of the House mentioned in the allegation before calling on anyone to resign.

“I expect that for 16 years of return to democracy, Nigerians would have understood the responsibilities of the National Assembly.

“For some weeks now, there has been controversy over what is called padding.

‘As far as I am concerned, the National Assembly has the responsibility to pass the budget, approve it and allow the executive arm to execute it.”

On whether padding constituted an offence, Na’Abba said, “It all depends on what angle you look at it, I just told you that the responsibility of appropriation belongs to the national assembly.

“If padding is seen as an offence, then it is when some members of the national assembly decide to add items of expenditure through the back door after the bill has been passed by the two legislative arms.

“It therefore behooves on Nigerians to decide who represent them in the national assembly.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 30 selected Journalists from the Kaduna Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) attended the three-day workshop, designed sharpen their skills in reporting the Oil and Gas sector.

August 8, 2016
Budget padding: Dogara in tight corner, battles for survival

• In desperate search for 28
legislators to stop removal
• Why he visited Buhari
• Pressure on Deputy Speaker to deliver South-West

Embattled Speaker Yakubu Dogara is in desperate search for a minimum of additional 28 members of the House to retain his leadership of the Green Chamber.

Dogara who has come under intense scrutiny and pressure to quit on the strength of allegations by the sacked chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdul-mumin Jibrin, that he and four other principal officers of the House were involved in budget padding, has already secured the signatures of 262 of the 360 members.

The 262, The Nation learnt, have already signed a register opened by Dogara to keep track of those backing him in the biggest threat yet to his position since he was elected in an acrimonious process in June last year.

But he needs an additional 28 signatures from the remaining 98 members to be relatively at ease.

The following is the breakdown of the 98 Reps who are yet to sign the register:

Lagos -18; Sokoto -2; Kogi -1;Bauchi -2; Oyo -6; Kaduna-3; Osun -6;Niger -3;Ondo -4;Taraba -1;Ogun -1;Katsina -3;Kebbi -1;Edo -5; Kano -4;and Benue -1.

The implication is that the Speaker has challenges in Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun.

But he has gained more support from Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kwara, Borno, Ekiti, the entire South-East and South-South both of which are controlled by the PDP.

Dogara’s strategists are said to be shocked by the refusal of two out of the 12 Representatives from his home state of Bauchi to support him.

A source who is familiar with the unfolding event said: “About 262 Representatives have signed the register to back Dogara although the target is actually 290 members to Ward off any threat.

“About 98 members have not signed, undecided or on vacation.

“The only challenge Dogara is having borders on poor support base for his Deputy, Yusuff Lasun in the South- West. Out of the 65 Representatives from the South-West, only about 30-36 signed the register. Whereas, Dogara was able to secure 95 per cent signatures of members from the North-East.

“It got to a ridiculous extent that some chairmen of committees from the South-West stayed away from the register. The House leadership considered it a slight.

“At a meeting of pro-Dogara loyalists during the week, the Deputy Speaker was faulted for not embracing his colleagues from the South- West after the House has reconciled.

“Although Lasun gave the details of his rapprochement with Representatives from the South-West, members were not convinced at all.

“Dogara is however doing a lot to persuade Reps from the South-West to forget the past. If the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila pitches his tent with Dogara, then it will be an easy ride for him.

“So far, there is a lot of pressure on the Deputy Speaker to wield influence on his colleagues from his geopolitical zone to back Dogara.

“Gbajabiamila has a onerous task at hand. The former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Jibrin was on his side before he made a volte face at the last minute. Jibrin’s switch of support earned Dogara the Speakership.

“Members are eager to see whether Gbajabiamila will pay Jibrin back in his own coin or stand by Dogara based on privileged information at his disposal.”

A member of the House in Dogara’s camp said: “It is going to be a battle to the finish. Some of us have suspended our vacation because of the challenge at hand.

“What I can assure you is that Dogara will survive this battle because he is innocent of all the allegations against him.”

However, it was gathered that there is even no guarantee that the 262 that have signified their support for him in the survival battle will line up behind him when the chips are down with sources citing the fluidity of the House politics

The Speaker and his loyalists are said to have been reaching out to as many Reps as possible in an attempt to ensure that Dogara is not brought down by the Jibrin allegations.

Reps are being wooed to back the present leadership.

Sources said the Speaker had to call off a foreign trip to enable him personally monitor events as they unfold on the budget padding allegations.

Some of the lawmakers are said to have shunned the register outright while some other are either out of the country or have not yet made up their mind on the issue.

About eight governors, from Dogara’s APC and the opposition PDP are said to have rallied round him to ensure that he survives the plot to oust him.

Meanwhile, fresh facts emerged yesterday that Dogara was at the Presidential Villa on Friday to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the controversy over the padding of the budget.

Another government source said: “Despite the fact that the president already had security reports on the problem in the House, Dogara came to explain the situation to him.

“But after listening to him, Buhari did not make any commitment. He only noted what Dogara said.”

A group of serving and former members of the House of Representatives has added a twist to the budget padding allegations after threatening to go to court to subject Section 80 (4) of the constitution to legal interpretation on the ownership of the budget document.

Section 80 (4) says: “No money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation, except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly”.

The lawmakers under the aegis of Faculty Board of Initiatives ( FBI ) are of the view that the controversy generated by the budget padding issue has made it expedient to approach the court for proper interpretation of the law.

Spokesman for the group, Eseme Eyibo described ‘padding’ as a misapplication of the word because the constitution allows budget proposals to be adjusted which is why it is presented as a bill by the President.

According to the former House spokesman, the annual Appropriation bill flows from the Executive to the Legislature and goes back to the Executive after its passage before assent and implementation.

August 7, 2016