Skip to main content

Budget Padding: Reps begin investigation

Rowdy session in the House of Reps

Rowdy session in the House of Reps

The House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and Privileges on Friday in Abuja commenced public investigation into allegations of fraud made by Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin against the House.

This followed Wednesday’s resolution of the House which mandated the committee to investigate the allegations, bordering on breach of privileges of members.

It would be recalled that the former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, accused the leadership of the National Assembly of padding the 2016 budget.

In his allegation, Jibrin alluded that the corruption in the House of Representatives outweighed that of the Executive and Judiciary combined, and urged anti-graft agencies to investigate.

Testifying before Ethics and Privileges Committee, however, the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Emmanuel Orker-Jev, described Jibrin’s action as sundry act of misconduct against the House.

Orker-Jev, who tendered newspaper copies and video materials as evidence, prayed the committee to apply necessary sanctions against any member guilty of misconduct in accordance with the House rules.

He said that the allegations made by Jibrin were false, scandalous and had impinged on the image of the National Assembly.

According to him, the allegations have lowered the National Assembly in the estimation of the public as Nigerians now express disgust at the lawmakers.

“There are internal mechanisms of addressing such grievances.

“We need to redeem our image against allegations that oversight and public hearings conducted in the House of Representatives are riddled with corruption,” Orker-Jev said.

While adopting Orker-Jev’s evidences, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges expressed commitment to be fair and objective in the investigation.

It adjourned sitting on the matter to Sept. 26, 201 when Jibrin is scheduled to appear before the committee.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...
Post a Comment
Read more