Budget Padding Scandal: Ex-Appropriation committee chair, Jibrin, raises 20 questions for Speaker Dogara

Embattled former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation on Wednesday raised 20 questions for Speaker Yakubu Dogara bordering on the unfolding budget padding scandal.

Mr. Jibrin said Mr. Dogara must respond to the questions individually.

The House was thrown into chaos following a decision the leadership took to remove Mr. Jibrin as Appropriation Committee chairman last week Wednesday.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara said Mr. Jibrin was removed because he allegedly betrayed the House and lacked competence in steering the committee.

Mr. Jibrin, however, said he stepped down willingly and denied the charges that he committed treachery and lacked competence.

The 20 questions are as follows:

1. Why did you take the decision to fraudulently shortchange the House by taken away 40 billion naira out of the 100 billion naira allocated for constituency projects and distributing same to yourself and others without the approval of the House?

2. Why did you approach the former house appropriation chairman with written personal requests and list of about 30 billion naira to be inserted into the 2016 budget and his inability to get that done caused a major rift between you all and him?

3. Why did you insert wasteful projects for your various constituencies worth about 20billion naira despite the former appropriation chairman professional advice against such?

4. Why did you ignore his complaint to you that just about 10 standing committees of the House inserted over 2000 projects worth 284 billion naira?

5. Why did you take away the appropriation committee secretariat on two occasions where several insertions were made into the budget which created avoidable tension during the budget process?

6. Why did you direct the former appropriation chair which he rejected to create a strange line item in the service wide vote to allow for a 20 billion naira insertion into the budget under the name of NASS using a former PDP Senator and top politician?

7. Why are you trying to scam members with a fraudulent arrangement to deduct monthly from money meant for members office running cost to fund a so called mortgage arrangement?

8. Why did you abuse your office in a conflict of interest directed an agency to grant loans and a construction company to work on your Asokoro plot and arrange frequent private meetings with heads of MDA’s?

9. Why did you allocate to yourselves the entire 20% inputs reserved for the House after the harmonization exercise?

10. How much did you collect for rent of house and guests houses and how much did Hon Herma Hembe steal from the money that caused the outburst of Lasun?

11. why are you trying to drag the entire House and illegally using the official spokesman of the House into allegations that were made on you and the 3 others ONLY?

12. Why did you consistently block the former chairman appropriation from briefing Hon members and denied him his right to be heard by his colleagues on this matter?

13. Why did you scuttle his effort and Sen Goje’s to assist Mr. President after working so hard consulting ministers on the budget out of envy and vindictiveness that Mr. President granted them audience without you?

14. Why did you insist and ensured that the immunity clause for the House principal officers is inserted into our agenda despite huge resistance from members and the general public?

15. Why did you connive with 5 other members of the House to use some elements of the Nigerian police and thugs in an attempt to blackmail, kidnap, intimidate and silence him and his family?

16. Why are you desperately going round media houses offering money to silent the statements of the former appropriation chairman?

17. Why has it taken you this long to put together such a lame storyt of why you “sacked” the former appropriation chairman after admitting on national TV that he resigned?

18. Is it true that you left a huge mess and allegations of money laundering against you as chairman House services both in the 6th and 7th House?

19. Why have you refused to open up the financial dealings and details of internal budget of the House to your colleagues, Hon members?

20. Why do you have problems with reconvening the House immediately to allow for an independent investigation on the allegations?