Abdulmumin Jibrin, former chairman, House Committee on Appropriations at the weekend informed President Muhammadu Buhari that his anti-corruption crusade cannot be successful without reforming the House of Representatives as an Institution.
Jibrin stated this in a 5-page letter sent to the Presidency from his exiled residence in London, where he recently was conferred with Anti-Corruption Award at Legislative Governance Awards, 2016.
“Sir, this is an institution that is supposed to support you in fighting corruption. You have taken on corruption and corrupt people decisively, the crusade will be incomplete if corrupt elements are allowed to infest the Legislative arm especially the House of Representatives.
“You should by now know that you will never get the required support to fight corruption with Dogara as Speaker of the House and most importantly if reforms are not implemented in the House,” he said.
Jibrin claimed that he has never abused my office or corruptly enrich myself during throughout the five year’s service as Chairman House Committee on Finance between 2011and 2015 and Chairman House Committee on Appropriation 2015 and 2016.
“Sir, I should also bring to your notice that the Speaker is making frantic efforts to ensure that this matter is suppressed. They will do all they can, including blackmailing you to ensure that the matter is not investigated and culprits prosecuted.
“In your case, since they cannot find issues of corruption associated with you, they will resort to frustrating any request you forward to the House for approval with a view to arm twisting you or trying to weaken you in the eyes of the public and international community. This is how they operate. You should watch out and be vigilant,” the letter read in part.
He also urged President Buhari to “use your good office to decisively get the House to end the fraudulent allowances regime and publish all entitlements of members, stop budget fraud, disclose internal budget of the House, open up finances of the House for external audit, implement e-parliament.”
The lawmaker also stressed the need for Buhari to ensure that the House pass the anti-corruption bills sent about a year ago and ensure the “refund hundreds of millions collected for rents, return 40 billion stolen from 100 billion zonal intervention funds, return projects diverted to his farm and other fraudulent projects worth billions, compel Speaker Dogara and other accused Principal Officers to step down for prosecution and make the House apologise to Nigerians for the individual and systemic fraud and corruption and gross abuse of office that has become the hallmark of the House over the years.”
He however noted that his persecution was triggered by his hard stance “against budget fraud, immunity for principal officers of the House and exposing corruption in a way that has never been done or seen in the history of the House of Representatives.
“I am a product of the establishment but I have always been uncomfortable and have always looked for the right opportunity or trigger to rebel against the ills of the system through exposing fraudulent acts, corruption and abuse of office in high places for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“My case whether people believe me or not is that of a young man who is frustrated with the deep-rooted system of corruption in high places. I have decided that enough is enough and I am ready to take on any corrupt person or institution especially the House of Representatives.
“Your Excellency, in the last few months I have raised grievous allegations of budget fraud, abuse of office and individual and systemic corruption against Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other Principal Officers of the House. I followed it with a petition to the security and anti graft agencies including the DSS, EFCC, ICPC and the Police.
“I have had several interactions with these agencies and pledged my continuous cooperation and willingness to stand witness during prosecution,” Jibrin disclosed.
He noted that rather than asking the Speaker to step aside and conduct a comprehensive investigation in collaboration with the ongoing external investigation into various allegations levelled against the principal officers, other lawmakers resolved to “punish me for exposing corruption, while celebrating the people I accused of corruption.
“The Speaker of course took advantage of the deep-rooted systemic corruption in the House to blackmail members to support him,” he alleged.
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