Senator Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) has expressed support for the move by
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the alleged
padding of the 2016 budget.
Sani, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debts,
said this at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Wednesday.
It will be recalled that the EFCC commenced a formal investigation into
the allegations.
The anti-graft body requested the Ministry of Budget and National Planning
to provide a copy of the 2016 budget submitted to the National Assembly by
the Presidency and the final copy returned by the National Assembly.
Sani said that although the National Assembly has its internal mechanism
of addressing such a matter, the EFCC could also discharge its duties.
“We are independent organ of parliament, we have the right to investigate
issues that happen within National Assembly but we are also not a crime
enforcement agency.
“The National Assembly can do its work and the anti- corruption body can
do its work; there is nothing wrong in that.
“The controversy in House of Representatives is getting Nigerians to be
more conscious of what is happening in National Assembly.”
According to him, the Dogara-Abdulmumini “case is something, I believe,
good for democracy in the sense that you must not use the National
Assembly as a ground for impoverishing other people.”
“I am elected and you are elected and now you tell me that you are going
to have more projects than I do, that is not going to work. In fact, the
public coming to know what is happening in the National Assembly will help
the new people like us who came in with fire-brand activism into the
place.
“So, padding is a reality but if it is done within the agreement between
the National Assembly and the executive arm; it falls within the line of
legislative duty.
“But if it was done for the sake of seeking advantage by the person who
did it, then that is a crime.”