A number of Nigeria’s civil society groups including Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, and the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for an effective and independent investigation of the allegations that the leadership of the House attempted to pad this year’s budget to the tune of N40 billion.
The civic groups’ demand came in the wake of fresh allegations of unethical inflation of budget figures by the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other principal officers during the consideration of the 2016 budget proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Leading the charge against Mr. Dogara was Abdulmumin Jibrin, a lawmaker from Kano State, who said the speaker colluded with his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Doguwa, and Minority Whip Leo Ogor to earmark up to ₦40 billion to themselves in the National Assembly budget.
Mr. Dogara should “urgently refer to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for an effective and independent investigation the allegations that the leadership of the House attempted to pad this year’s budget to the tune of N40 billion and that the member who blew the whistle was victimized for opposing immunity for principal officers,” the executive director of SERAP, Adetokunboh Mumuni, said in a statement yesterday.
Ibrahim Zikirullahi, the chairman of TMG, said the development had exposed Nigerian lawmakers as unprincipled people. The allegations and counter-allegations “showed the character of men and women that we have in the Assembly because they introduced selfish interests to delay the document that was needed to take care of the nation,” Mr. Zikirullahi said.
He said Mr. Dogara and other lawmakers named in the scandal must not be allowed to walk away from it unscathed, saying their case cannot be an outlier because the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were also answering charges of misconduct before the court. “They need to be thoroughly investigated and, if possible, prosecuted.”
Debo Adeniran, the chairman of CACOL, said the bickering among the lawmakers should be seen in positive light by all Nigerians. “Definitely, it’s a good omen for Nigerians when leaders of that sort begin to expose each other,” Mr. Adeniran said. “It’s only each of the two tortoises that knows how to bite one another. So it’s good that they’re biting and exposing themselves.”
