The ousted Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin yesterday released the list of seven Chairmen of standing Committees who allegedly inserted N284 billion into the budget without the knowledge of their members.
The information was released yesterday night via a statement obtained by BusinessDay.
According to him, “some of the biggest culprits are chairmen of standing committees on Power, Hon. Dan Asuquo; Higher Education, Hon. Zakari Mohammed; Water Resources, Hon. Aliyu Pategi; Health – Hon Chike Okafor; Interior – Hon Jagaba Adams; FCT – Hon. Herma Hembe and Police Affairs, Hon. Haliru Jika, among few others.”
The lawmaker also confirmed that his lawyers have “officially approached Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) towards working out a date for me to personally submit my petition against Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun; Chief Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.
“I believe once a date is agreed with the anti-corruption agencies we would have begun the process of making these characters pay for abusing their office.”
Jibrin also informed Dogara and all the lawmakers linked with the allegations that “they will soon realize that I am not alone and members will not allow such serious allegations of corruption to be swept under the carpet.
“I kept pressure on the Speaker to allow me opportunity to brief my colleagues to no avail. The insincerity and conspiracy of silence from the few standing committee chairmen that inserted about 2000 projects into the budget and unnecessary movement of huge sums of money didn’t help my case.
“When Speaker Dogara and the 3 other principals inserted projects worth over 20 billion in their constituencies? God Almighty is with the innocent,” he said.
He also assured Nigerians that a lot on some of these issues especially the 2016 budget will be published “in my personal memoir life at 40: My Story, as part of my 40th birthday in September.
The memoir when published will give an insight on my life so that the public will understand some of these issues in proper perspective.
“Let me also state that the way and manner Hon members of the house, civil society groups, security and anti corruption agencies and the general public handle these issues and allegations will certainly determine if people in different sectors who have the courage to fight corruption, abuse of trust and offices will have the necessary support and encouragement to step up.
“Just imagine if these quartet and their accomplice like Hon Herma Hembe are found guilty and sent to jail. It will be a defining moment and a huge accomplishment for our fight against corruption,” Jibrin assured.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA
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