Budget padding: Dogara sacks appropriation committee chair, Reps jubilate

This is Abdulmumin Jibrin: hehehehhe
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Abdulmumin Jibrin yesterday announced the sack of the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin.
Jibrin has been enmeshed in controversy following revelations that he allocated projects worth over N4 billion to his Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in the 2016 budget.
He was replaced with Mustapha Bala Dawaki who was until now was the chairman of the Committee on Housing
 umin Jibrin.

The Kano State lawmaker was the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, considered one of the ‘juicy’ positions in both chambers of the National Assembly.

Jibrin played a key role in the emergence of Dogara as Speaker, helping him to mobilize members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP against strong challenge from Femi Gbajabiamila, the All Progressive Congress, APC favourite for the position.

The subsequent appointment of Jibrin as chairman of the House Appropriation Committee by Dogara was believed to be a reward for his efforts.

Jibrin who represents Bebeji/Kiru federal constituency of Kano State was also the chairman of the committee on Finance in the 7th House of Representatives.

Early reports indicated that Jibrin was sacked by the Speaker who immediately announced announced Mustapha Dawaki Bala representing Kudu/Warawa federal constituency of Kano state as the new chairman of the House Appropriation Committee at Wednesday’s plenary session.

But Dogara had told members that Jibrin met him earlier and said he cannot continue to chair the Appropriation Committee due to “pressure of the work,” hence the announcement of his replacement.

To stave off controversies that his unexpected exit from the coveted position may generate, the lawmaker addressed a press conference immediately after plenary on Wednesday.

As chairman of Appropriation Committee, Jibrin ran into controversies during the National Assembly’s work on the 2016 Budget as he was accused of padding the document with projects worth over N4 billion domiciled in his Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency.

This was in addition to another surreptitious allocation of N40 billion worth of projects to the leaderships of the Appropriations Committees of both chambers of the National Assembly.

President Muhammadu Buhari had refused to sign the budget until most of the padding was removed with the help of a 15 member harmonisation Committee set up by the National Assembly.

The scandal had led to calls for removal of Jibrin as the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee.

Many believed Jibrin’s resignation was a fallout of the of the budget scandal.

The Kano lawmaker agreed that there was indeed a problem with which the way the 2016 budget was handled in his press conference on Wednesday, but he insisted that his resignation was a personal decision.

While insisting that he has done no wrong, the lawmaker promised to reveal what reveal transpired during the consideration of the 2016 budget later, “so that we can also learn collectively and see how we can move the system forward.”

Jibrin insisted that he did his best as the Chairman Appropriations Committee, challenging anybody with a contrary view to come forward with evidence:  “And as it is until date, nobody has raised any issue against me.

“And that has been the case even while I was Chairman Finance. For four years, I was chairman Finance and I executed my responsibility diligently and I left an unblemished record.”

Jibrin said still, he will take responsibility for the obstacles that marred the passage of the 2016 budget.

“Even if I’m not at fault, it’s only proper that I take the responsibility. I believe that the best thing I should do under the circumstances is to step aside so that the committee can move forward.”

The Kano lawmaker had also strongly opposed the proposal to grant immunity to presiding officers of National Assembly when it was debated in the House last week.

He even displayed placard with the inscription “No to immunity” at the National Assembly