‘Senate is involved too,’ Lawmaker says

monjola sotubo

August 9, 2016 1:20 PM

The House of Representatives is currently at the centre of controversy following allegations made by former Appropriations Committee Chairman, Abdulmumin Jibrin.

House of Reps Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and Abdulmumin Jibrin

A member of the Senate has alleged that the upper legislative chamber also participated in the ongoing budget padding scandal.

The House of Representatives is currently at the centre of controversy following allegations made by former Appropriations Committee Chairman,

According to Jibrin, Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other members of the House smuggled N284 billion into the budget.

“National Assembly is one, the Senate is not left out in the padding of the 2016 budget. As you know, the budget was harmonised by the Appropriation committees of both Chambers,” the senator, who chose to remain anonymous, told Daily Trust.

“Every budget item has to be agreed upon by the two chambers. All the things buried by the House leaders were also buried by the Senate. So, they both dug the same holes for those things to be buried in,” another lawmaker said.

“As a matter of fact, the two appropriation committees worked together throughout the budget period before they reported back to the respective chambers for approval. Invariably what you have in the House is what you have in the Senate, but that of the Senate may even be worse.

“A minister told me that ... they inserted an intervention project of N6 billion in his ministry, but when he told them one of the agencies under his ministry had a similar project, they opened up and said the project was meant for them.

“You can remember what Ogbeh said after the budget defence. He said he saw some strange insertions in his ministry’s budget. That was done in connivance with the two appropriation committees,” the lawmaker added.

ALSO READ: Buhari, Dogara hold private meeting over budget padding scandal

Meanwhile, Dogara has said that he will not vacate his office because budget padding is not an offence.

Also named in the alleged scam are Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.

monjola sotubo