Budget: Dogara diverted FG’s water project –Jibrin

 

He’s blackmailing Speaker –Gombe Reps
By Adewole Adebusayo and Zika Bobby
EMBATTLED former chairman of Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives has slammed another allegation of corruption against the Speaker House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara  accusing him of diverting the Federal Government water project to his farm in Nasarawa State.

Jibrin, who promised to continue exposing the corruptible act of the speaker and other corrupt members in the House challenged Dopgara to tell Nigerians how he is funding his farm in Nasarawa.
“Allegation No 21 to Mr. Speaker: Why did you fraudulently divert a Federal Government water project to your farm in Nasarawa and how are you funding the farm?”
Jibrin had earlier raised 20 questions on the alleged budget padding imbroglio which he said Dogara must respond individually.
Crisis erupted in the House following ‘removal’ of Jibrin as Appropriation Committee chairman. He was accused of betrayal incompetence in steering the committee.
In his latest attack, Jibrin expressed the hope that Dogara and other principal officers will be removed, as a consequence of his allegations.
“When a new speaker emerges and the other principal officers replaced, I will write to the presiding officers of both chambers to commence a radical internal reform in the entire National Assembly beyond budget to cover performance assessment, running cost and allowances, investigations etc
“If the reform so done on the National Assembly is not made public latest by December, I shall take it up and lay it before the general public even if I am alone.
He explained that the motive behind his actions is to wipe out corruption from Nigeria government.
On Wednesday, Dogara gave Jibrin a seven-day ultimatum to retract and apologise for his recent public pronouncements against him. Dogara, in a letter written by his lawyers, Professor Joash Amupitan and Co., said Jibrin should expect grave consequences should he fail to retract and apologise for the publication of a series of “libellous” materials in the media.
But Jibrin said he would not  apologise. Instead, he demanded the immediate resignation of Dogara and the three other principal officers over alleged budget padding. He accused them of allocating N40 billion to themselves out of N100 billion earmarked for the constituency projects of all lawmakers.
The Gombe State Caucus in the House of Representatives has risen in defence of Speaker Yakubu Dogara, saying the allegations levelled against him and  three other principal officers by former chairman, House Committee Abdulmumin Jibrin  are untrue.
Leader of the Caucus, Ali Isa who spoke at a media briefing at the National Assembly also accused the former chairman of blackmailing Dogara for selfish reasons even as he alleged that Jibrin was  using documents he asked members to send to him while working on the budget as evidence against the House leadership.
According to Isa who addressed the press on behalf of his colleagues, Jibrin is also guilty of abuse of office as he exploited his position as Chairman of the Appropriations  Committee to allocate projects to the tune of N4.1 billion to his Bibeji/Kiru Federal Constituency.
Kurfi backs Dogara
The member representing Dutsinma/Kurfi Federal Constituency of Katsina State in the House of Representatives, Danlami Muhammad Kurfi, has urged Nigerians to disregard allegations of the former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, against some principal officers of the Green Chamber, stating that  Jibri is only trying to seek attention.
Kurfi told newsmen that Jibrin’s allegations were an afterthought aimed at covering up his misdeeds and incompetence as appropriation chairman, adding that his removal was in the best interest of the House and Nigeria at large.
While absolving the Dogara-led principal officers of any wrongdoing, Kurfi, who is the Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Downstream said, “The house or its leadership is not guilty whatsoever of anything. There was nothing illegal about constituency project, the ousted Appropriation Committee was only looking for an excuse for his incompetence, inordinate ambition and questionable character.
“We are stoutly behind our leaders because they haven’t done anything wrong, neither have they deviated from the rules of the House. If Jubril have evidence, he should take them to the EFCC. He can’t scribble some illogical and irrelevant stuff on pieces of paper and force them down our throats.”

source: Sun News