Tag Archives: HOR

FG To Be Blamed For Xenophobic Attacks On Nigerians – HOR Committee

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The House of Representative Committee on Diaspora has criticised the Federal Government for failing to stem the attacks on Nigerians living abroad.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Rita Orji, stated this on Monday while speaking to journalists at the National Assembly on the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

She said the failure of the Federal Government to address previous attacks of Nigerians in South Africa was responsible for the incessant killings of Nigerians abroad.

The lawmaker recounted some of the killings of Nigerians in South Africa, Libya and other countries, claiming that the committee had investigated some of the cases and sent a report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with no visible action taken.

Budget Padding: Jibrin Files Suit Against Dogara, Others.

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Former Chairman, Appropriation Committee, House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has sued the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, his Deputy, Yusuf Lasun, and other principal officers of the lower chamber over an alleged plan to suspend him.

 

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/595/2016, commenced by way of writ of summons and filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on August 9, 2016, Jibrin  seeks principally to restrain the House of Representatives and its principal officers from giving effect to their alleged plot to suspend him as member of the House.

 

Jibrin, an All Progressives Congress (APC) legislator representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, has also filed an ex-parte motion seeking, among others, an other restraining the defendants from taking steps to suspend him pending the determination of the substantive suit.

 

Listed as defendants in the suit are: The House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Yusuf Lasun, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Leo Ogor, Herman Hembe, Umar Mohammed Bago, Zakari Mohammed, Chike Okafor, Dan Asuquo, Jagaba Adms, Haliru Jika and Uzoma Abonta.

 

Jibrin, in the substantive suit, seeks a declaration that the defendants are bound to comply with the provisions of Sections 49, 54, 56 and 60 of the 1999 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.

 

He also wants the court to make 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.

 

The plaintiff stated, in a supporting affidavit, that Immediately the 3rd to 14 defendants (Dogara and other principal officers)  got wind of the petitions presented against them by the plaintiff to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and others, they held a meeting on August 3, 2016, where they allegedly resolved to suspend him immediately as member of the House of Reps.

 

He said that the defendants also agreed to urgently reconvene the House from its current recess “with a desperate agenda to suspend the plaintiff contrary to the Rules of the House”.

 

“That one of such meetings was held by the 3rd to 14 defendants at the residence of the 3rd defendant (Dogara) in Apo, Abuja on August 3, 2016.

 

“If the reliefs of the plaintiff are not granted, the plaintiff will be suspended as a member of the House of Reps, and this will greatly prejudice him and thousands of his constituents, who rely on him to afford them their due representations in the Federal Legislature,” Jibrin said.

 

It could not be confirmed when filing this story yesterday whether any proceedings had been conducted in court in relation to the motion ex-parte or whether a date had been set for hearing by the court’s current vacation judge, Justice Okon Abang.

Jibrin Challenges Dogara To Public Debate On Budget Padding Scandal

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Embattled former chairman of Appropriations Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has challenged the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to a public debate on the allegations of padding if the 2016 budget.

 

In yet another statement he issued yesterday, Hon. Abdulmumin said rather than defend himself against allegations of corruption levelled against him, the Speaker was embarking on “diversionary plan to mislead the public, avoid the anti-corruption agencies and buy time to cover up their dirty mess.

 

He said what the leadership and some committee chairman did amounted to “appropriation fraud.

 

“For instance, let’s say an item in a budget proposed by the executive under Power for the purchase of a transformer cost N2million and same amount was budgeted, If the Chairman House Committee on power because he has the “powers” to appropriate decides to add N3million naira to jack up the allocation to 5million naira when it is a public knowledge that the transformer cannot cost more than 2million naira, what do you call that? That essentially means appropriation fraud.

“On the other hand, let’s say he decides to irrationally reduce the amount to 500,000 thousand naira knowing fully well that, the said amount cannot buy the transformer, what do you call that? Appropriation Sabotage and such a chairman is a Saboteur. I have no apology for saying this!Little by little, I will be providing more in-depth details,” the statement said.

 

“I challenge Speaker Dogara and his cabal to a public debate on their claim that the fraudulent insertions they made in the budget is not an offense that can be prosecuted under the laws of Nigeria. Rather than continue their futile effort to blackmail the entire country or continue their begging mission to the Party, Transparency and Integrity Group, Speaker Dogara and his gang should submit themselves to the anti-corruption agencies and answer thousands of questions waiting for them” he said.

We Are Elected To Pad Budget – Honourable Abiodun Olasupo

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The Chairman House of Representative Committee on Legislative Compliance, Abiodun Olasupo, has insisted that ‘budget padding’ remains a constitutional responsibility of the legislative arm of government and as such the House of Representatives did not err in the current ‘budget padding’ controversy.

 

Olasupo, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/ Iwajowa federal constituency, stated this during the inspection of some his zonal intervention projects and federal government projects within his constituency on Wednesday in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.

 

He said Sections 80 and 81 the Nigeria constitution,guarantees the lawmakers the Powers to alter the Budget Proposals?.

 

The lawmaker argued that budgets presented by the executive arm of government do not often reflect true federal character hence the need for ‘padding’?.

 

”If you look at the Nigeria Constitution, what Honourable AbdulMuminin Jibrin refer to as padding is tantamount to what the constitution defines as the function of a member of House of Representative because the constitution guarantees the three major function of making law, appropriation, and over sight.

 

“In appropriation it is either for us to add, subtract or change and what Hon Jibrin has been trying to say is that we are changing, inserting and adding, so if that is what he calls padding then that is what the constitution expects the house of representative to do.

“In my own opinion been an active member during the budget defence, I was involved in the budgeting system of up to six ministries, I participated in FERMA, NAVY, health institutions, governmental agencies and a whole lot of them. The entire budgeting system make it possible that if you are elected as a member of national assembly and you are not ready to do what Muminin Jibrin calls padding then you are a failure, because basically the budget that is been brought to the national assembly does not reflect the principle of federal character as guaranteed by the constitution,” he said

 

Olasupo said all projects and employments from the executive should be done in a way that it reflects all parts of Nigeria, adding that: ”but what do we get in the budget, you will see a disapprotionate distribution of projects and basically if you look at it reflects mostly on where the minister is coming from since it is the executive that brings in the budget.”

 

The lawmaker went further that: ”When the executive are bringing the budget they are not considering my constituency, so they will bring a budget to me and I am expected to approve it, and if it doesn’t have the interest of my constituency you want me to keep quite, no I won’t, what I will also do is to insert what will favour the people of my constituency which is what Jibrin calls padding.

 

“I am not saying somebody is wrong or right but I do not see what is bad in attracting projects to my constituency. For the first time in the history of this country a budget presented by the executive was reduced when a president personally presented the budget to the national assembly personally. It means that we are shifting away from impunity, and corruption that has characterised the government of the past.”

 

Olasupo noted that the legislature have only had an unhindered experience of 16 years when compared with the executive, appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the national assembly to get right all their lapses in no time.

Budget Padding: APC Moves To Silence Jibrin, Wants Issue Dealt With Internally

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally decided to intervene in the budget padding scandal currently rocking the House of Representatives. In a letter addressed to Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin, the party says it is embarrassed by recent developments in the House over the 2016 budget and is now working on finding an internal resolution to the crisis.
 
The statement, signed by Senator Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy National Chairman (North), says the National Working Committee of the party has directed that Jibrin should henceforth avoid issuing any public statement on the budget padding matter and the allegations of corruption against Speaker Dogara and other principal officers of the House. Jibrin is also to desist from making further comments on social media.
 
This move by the APC is seen by many as a strategy to sweep the allegations of budget padding, financial mismanagement, corruption and bribery levied by the former Appropriation Committee Chairman against the Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers of the House.
 
You will recall that Jibrin accused Dogara and three others of singlehandedly padding the 2016 budget with over N40 billion while also allocating projects worth over N30 billion to their constituencies. The Kano lawmaker on Monday went to the offices of the EFCC, ICPC and DSS to formally submitted petitions against Dogara and the three others.

Budget Padding Scandal: Police Invite Dogara, Others.

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Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has raised a five-man special team to probe the alleged padding of the budget by House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and some of his principal officers.

 

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Amodu Ali-led Special Investigative Panel (SIP) has invited Dogara, his deputy Yusuff Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor to appear before it on Friday.

 

The panel Tuesday had what was called “a preliminary session” with ousted House Committee on Appropriations chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin, who accused Dogara and others of padding the budget with N284 billion.

 

Last Monday, Jibrin petitioned the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies over the matter.

 

Jibrin was said to have “furnished the SIP with vital information and a heap of documents” at their meeting yesterday.

 

A highly-placed police source, who spoke in confidence, said Ibrahim has directed the SIP to conduct a “comprehensive investigation into Jibrin’s petition.”

 

We have commenced full investigation into the N284billion budget padding in the House of Representatives based on a petition from Hon. Jibrin.

 

A Special Investigative Panel (SIP), with a crack detective, AIG Amodu Ali as the chairman, is the one saddled with the responsibility of looking into the allegations in the petition.

 

The same Ali uncovered the lid on the $620,000 bribery scam in the House for which a former Chairman of the House Committee on Fuel Subsidy Management, Mallam Farouk Lawan, and the Clerk of the committee, Mr. Boniface Emenalo were indicted. The case is in court.

 

“You will recall that Ali was deeply involved in the investigation of the $180million Halliburton scam. So, the SIP is led by an officer who is tested.”

 

Asked of the preliminary work done by the SIP, the source added: “As I am talking to you (4pm yesterday), a letter of invitation has been addressed and sent to the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Chief Whip and the Minority Leader.

 

“They will be interrogated by the SIP on Friday. As a prelude to the invitation of the principal officers, the SIP chairman and members had a session with Jibrin on Tuesday.

 

“It was not a grilling session. But Jibrin furnished the team with vital information and a heap of documents to back up the petition he submitted on Monday.

 

“We are going into the merit or otherwise of the petition on Friday by inviting Dogara and three others. It is going to be a gradual thing but we will crack the padding controversy.”

 

Jibrin confirmed on Tuesday that security has been beefed up around him by the Department of State Service (DSS) and the police.

 

He also asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevail on Dogara to reconvene the House and step aside to face prosecution for alleged budget padding.

 

Jibrin, in a message on his Twitter handle, said: “My attention has been drawn to media reports that I have been summoned to appear before a disciplinary committee of our great party.

 

“That I received a letter yesterday evening (Monday) inviting me to a meeting in respect of the crisis in the House on Tuesday (yesterday) by 2pm at the party’s office.”

 

“The letter did not in any way indicate it as a disciplinary committee. And I have responded that I will attend the meeting despite my tight schedules shuttling between security and anti-corruption agencies to provide support and evidence against Speaker Dogara and nine others.”

 

“I am confident that the party will do the right thing by throwing its weight to support our resolve to wipe out corruption in the House and direct Speaker Dogara, Deputy Speaker Lasun, Whip Doguwa and Minority Leader Ogor to reconvene the House immediately and step down to face imminent prosecution and save the party and our dear country from further embarrassment.”

Behind The Trouble Maker: Meet The Other Abdulmumin Jibrin

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Since his decision to resign as Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin has been in the media limelight for his crusade against what he calls institutionalized corruption in the House. At 39, he is one of the youngest lawmakers in Nigeria country. But who exactly is Abdulmumin Jibrin?
 
Born on September 9th 1976, Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin represents Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in House or Representatives under the aegis of ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC). He was educated at the University of Abuja and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Jibrin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, obtained from the University of Abuja in 1999. He followed up with a Master of Science degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 2003. He then returned to the University of Abuja to obtain PhD in International Relations in 2009.
 
In 2009 he attended London Business School, UK, where he obtained certificates in General Management and Global Economy Crisis. He then proceeded to the prestigious Harvard Business School, USA, for certificates in Negotiation, Competitive Decision and Deal Process, and Comprehensive Leadership Development. Between 2012 and 2014, he got an MBA from the Swiss Business School Zurich, Switzerland. He also has certificates in Telecommunications Strategy and Marketing European Institute of Business Administration INSEAD, France and also attended the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at the Oxford University, UK.
 
Jibrin started work and business in the media and construction industry at 19 before establishing his own company Green Forest Investment Limited. He later became Chairman/CEO of Green Forest Group with subsidiaries in investments, construction & engineering, property development, petroleum and gas and agriculture. Between 2010 and 2011 he was Chairman (Nigeria) of Turkish construction giant, TASYAPI, as well as Chairman of the Abuja branch of Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce.
 
In 2011, he resigned as Chairman of Green Forest Group Limited to join politics. The same year he contested and won election into the House of Representatives under the PDP. In his first stint in the House he was Chairman of Committee on Finance. He was also head of a joint ad-hoc committee on Finance, Petroleum Upstream, Petroleum Downstream and Gas Resources. In 2015 he was re-elected into the House of Representatives under the APC and served as Chairman of Appropriation Committee until his resignation.
Jibrin has a passion for teaching and has lectured as several universities mostly pro bono, including the Nasarawa State University where he taught International Relations. He has written several books and papers including the celebrated book on Obasanjo’s foreign policy.
 
Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin is a fellow of several professional bodies and has won several awards both home and abroad. He was the third Nigerian recipient of the French International Visitors Leadership Program since 1989. Jibrin was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow in 2010 for his philanthropy work and sits on the board of and supports several charity organizations.

Bomb Shell: Dogara Gave Appropriation Committee Members $20,000 Bribe Each To Lie At Press Conference – Jibrin

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MY RESPONSE TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY 9 MEMBERS OF THE 40-MEMBER APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 
All the accusations they leveled against me are not in any way different from the bunch of lies contained in the shameless statement released by Speaker Dogara and the 3 other principal officers through Hon Namdas which I have fully provided response to. But to prove my innocence, I have resolved that I will respond to any accusation or allegation leveled against me, unlike the corrupt Speaker Dogara, who rather than respond to the 25 allegations I leveled against him and others, has resorted to use legal gimmicks to stall the allegations. Mr Speaker, you cannot sweep such hefty allegations under the carpet. You think Nigerians are not watching?
 
First, only 9 out of the 40 appropriation committee members agreed to participate in such a dishonorable press conference after shamelessly collecting $20,000 each distributed to them two days ago at the Speaker’s residence by his Deputy Chief of staff Hon CID Maduabum. My same Deputy Hon Chris Azubogu (you will remember his history with Hon Hembe in the 7th Assembly) who was used to organize the press conference was clearly on camera almost crying at the press conference where I announced my resignation. It took a couple of minutes before I could calm him down, get him seated for me to commence the event. See attached documents showing his greedy demands for insertions 111 projects into the budget which I turned down. You can imagine the pressure I went through. The 9 of them are a disgrace to their constituents.
 
On the lies that I never conferred with committee members or excluded them, here is the fact. The members of appropriation committee were fully carried along except those periods that the Quartet of Speaker Dogara and others took away the entire secretariat from me. When the appropriation bill passes second reading and is referred to the appropriation committee, a meeting with standing committee chairmen, their deputies and principal officers is usually held to discuss the guidelines for the committee work. We held that meeting on Wednesday January 27th 2016 With Mr Speaker in attendance. (see attached for document showing agenda of meeting and guide lines provided to standing committees).
 
The 40 members of the appropriation committee are grouped into sub-committees and allocated a number of standing committees to supervise. Their role is so important such that they must first agree with the report of the various standing committees they supervised before the report of such committees are considered, deliberated and adopted by the appropriation committee. The implication of that process is that every member participated and endorsed the reports. God so kind, the entire session was recorded publicly. I will release the videos so that my Hon colleagues and the general public will see videos of appropriation members in action. And the 9 members of the appropriation committee with short memory will be reminded.
 
No report of a standing committee of the house was received without the approval of members of appropriation committee. See attached for document showing full list of members of appropriation committee, distribution into sub committees, secretary of each subcommittee, contacts and meeting rooms. Interestingly, the distribution and allocations was done by this same Deputy chairman of mine! Where is his honour?
 
Again they tried to drag the entire house and body of principal officers into this matter. I have stated categorically clear several times that my allegations are not against the House as an institution or the entire body of principal officers but specifically on Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun, Whip Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor and few other members.
 
It is also a blatant lie that I disappeared. I was always at home since we were on a short break. Even more shocking is the fact that my Deputy Hon Chris Azubogu who was regularly at my home during that period can go on national TV for a price of $20,000 to tell such shameful lies. Well, CCTV don’t tell lies. The period that my colleagues didn’t see me was the two occasions that Speaker Dogara and the others took away my secretariat. At least, now you know that your budget was with Mr Speaker not me.
 
On the issue of pressure by members against me, I have explained that countless times. Who can blame them when they do not have the facts of the matter. All they know and hear is Hon Jibrin. This is in addition to a well-orchestrated blackmail by Speaker Dogara and his cohorts to spread false hood and effectively block me from briefing members. The conspiracy of silence by the few committee chairmen who are culprits didn’t help my case. Well, now the whole members are getting to know what transpired.
 
The contradictions in all your statements are too much. Here you are talking about sack. What do we believe after the Speaker first admitted that I resigned? Again, on one hand you say Hon Jibrin padded the budget, on the other hand you say nothing like padding in the entire budget. Which do you want us to believe? Yes we have complete powers of appropriation but the intention of the constitution is not to say you should exercise that power in a senseless manner, okay?
 
 
The mother of all contradiction, is when you said no breach was committed so there must not be any external probe but internal. So if there has been no breach what so ever in the budget process, why are you accusing me of committing so many offence in that regard? And what do you intend to probe internally?
 
My dear colleagues, you all know me very well and my bluntness and anti-corruption stance in the House. We will all die and meet our God. Feel free to play politics but remember posterity will judge.
 
I urge you all to join hands and do the Honourable thing by asking Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the 3 other principal officers to reconvene the House and step down with immediate effect to face prosecution. They have all lost the moral grounds to call themselves presiding and principal officers of the House. The more they cling on to power, the further the image of the House will be battered.
 
I wish to inform you that I have officially approached the EFFC and the ICPC to come in and decisively deal with this matter and other corruption cases in the House. Kindly note that the allegations must be externally investigated.
 
This is a defining moment for the House of Representatives. It will never be business as usual.
 
Thank you
 
Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin PhD MBA
Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency
Kano (APC)

Budget Padding: EFCC, ICPC Must Investigate Allegations Against Dogara, Others – Jibrin

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Former chairman of the House of Representative Committee on Appropriation, Honourable Jibrin on Friday insisted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) must probe the allegation of budget padding he levelled against the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers.

 

He said that, “This is a defining moment for the House of Representatives. It will never be business as usual”.

 

To this end, he urged members “to join hands and do the honourable thing by asking Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the three other principal officers to reconvene the House and step down with immediate effect to face prosecution.

 

According to him, “They have all lost the moral grounds to call themselves presiding and principal officers of the House. The more they cling on to power, the further the image of the House will be battered.”

 

The statement reads in part: “I wish to inform you that I have officially approached the EFFC and the ICPC to come in and decisively deal with this matter and other corruption cases in the House. Kindly note that the allegations must be externally investigated.

 

He also questioned the rationale behind his former deputy, Honourable Chris Azibogu and few others’ decosopm to address a press conference where they claimed there was no budget padding.

 

He wondered why “only 9 out of the 40 appropriation committee members agreed to participate in such a dishonorable press conference after  shamelessly collecting $20,000 each distributed to them yesterday at the Speaker’s residence by his Deputy Chief of staff, Hon CID Maduabum.

 

“My same Deputy Hon Chris Azubogu ( you will remember his history with Hon Hembe in the 7th Assembly) who was used to organize the press conference was clearly on camera almost crying at the press conference where I announced my resignation.”

“Dogara Tried Breaking Into My Office To Discard Evidence” – Jibrin

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A former chairman of House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, on Thursday said unnamed individuals acting on the orders of Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, had moved computers used by officials of the committee.

 

Mr. Jibrin has accused the speaker of budget fraud, an allegation Mr. Dogara denies.

 

In a statement Thursday, Mr. Jibrin said there was also an attempt to burgle his office, saying all the systems were shut down.

 

“Speaker Dogara has ordered that all the computers in the appropriation secretariat be shut down and moved to his office as if that is the answer to the allegations I raised,” he said. “The secretariat staff are being harassed to keep quite and suppress facts. There has also been an attempt to break into my office at the House.”

 

Mr. Jibrin said Mr. Dogara’s action was calculated at manipulating documents crucial to the unfolding budget padding scandal involving him, the speaker, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, House Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.

 

He said the plan would not work because he was in possession of “enough evidence” already.”

 

“I know he wants to tamper with documents critical to his and the three others future investigation and prosecution but unfortunately for him we already have enough evidence in our possession,” he said.

 

He urged Mr. Dogara to allow an independent investigations into the allegations.