I have followed the drama and intrigues being played out by the sacked
\nChairman of the House Appropriation Committee, Hon Jibrin Abdulmumin with
\nrestrained but keen interest. I have also looked at the gamut of documents
\nand records (that actually are injurious to collective privilege of the
\nhouse under the law) and found nothing criminal or corrupt on the face of
\nthem to warrant the total dedication of media focus and the interest of
\nthe Presidency and indeed the security agencies as has been exhibited in
\nthe past week. I am at loss to understand under what powers the DSS can
\nenter and seal up the NASS in a democracy and the vocal forces are urging
\nthem on without regard to the detrimental effects of such lawlessness on
\nthe foundation of our democracy. In listening to lawyers, experts,
\ncommentators and sundry analysts, I continually failed to get a clear
\nunderstanding of the criminal misconduct or breach of the constitution by
\nthe popular “budget padding” everyone was asking that the internal
\nprocesses of the legislature should be overridden so that the EFCC, DSS,
\nthe Police and may be the Army may even be unleashed on the legislature to
\ntear it down. Because all I hear is that projects that were not proposed
\nby Mr President were alleged to have been introduced (not implemented) by
\nsome leaders of the House if Representatives and later eight other members
\nby a man who signed off the same budget in April as perfect while serving
\nas Chairman Appropriation Committee, wrote members to defend it against
\nany attempts by the Executive to the contrary, was found to have added too
\nmany projects behind his colleagues into the budget for which Mr President
\nwithheld assent, got removed as Chairman in July and the suddenly became a
\n“Robbin Hood” a week later accusing every foe of wrongdoing while still
\nconcealing his own projects in the final budget. I am certain that after
\nthis opinion, I will also become the ninth accused member with the release
\nof an additional set of “records and documents” indicting me. So I kept
\nlooking out for something that clearly states the ground of the popular
\ncall for the persecution and prosecution of all members of the NASS but
\nfound none credible or even coherent given the provisions of the
\nconstitution and legislative precedent.<\/p>\n
Then I stumbled upon a chart published the online medium, PREMIUM TIMES,
\nand titled “HOW TO PAD THE NIGERIAN BUDGET (aka) HOW TO STEAL OUR MONEY”
\n(Kindly see the chart).
\nThen it became all clear to me as either a genuine misunderstanding of the
\nroles and limit of the powers of the NASS, a conscious avoidance of that
\nunderstanding, a deliberate blackmail or a programmed push for leadership
\nchange in the House using a populist story twisted out of context.<\/p>\n
Using the Premium Times “definition” of “budget padding” as displayed and
\nseeing the level of “collaboration and partnership” across causes and
\ninterests, it became even clearer that the agenda is far from what is
\npresented.
\nTell me where is the criminality therein at the level of the Nass as an
\ninstitution if the alleged “cash loot” happens within the executive branch
\nwhere ALL projects are implemented?<\/p>\n
Of course, if anyone has any evidence of movement of funds without
\ncontract implementation or undue influence in the course of contract
\naward, it’s for that person to furnish relevant security agencies with the
\ninformation to deal with in accordance\u00a0 extant laws. But to now attempt a
\nblanket blackmail of the Nass not to undertake its constitutional role of
\nlaw making (appropriation inclusive) is unconstitutional, criminal and
\ninherently unacceptable.<\/p>\n
If any member of the house is prepared to merely “rubber stamps” executive
\nproposals in the name of “not being corrupt” or “not to be accused of
\ncorruption”, I am not; and I believe that the majority of the members are
\nnot.<\/p>\n
For God Sake, which court has ruled against the constitutional power of
\nthe Nass to “amend, reduce from or add to” the estimates proposed by the
\nexecutive? Is it not concern that no one (including the AGF) wants to
\napproach the courts (which Obj did during his time but later withdrew
\nanyway) to test those powers or even to seek Supreme Court interpretation
\nof the combined effects of sections 4, 59, 80 and 81 of the 1999
\nconstitution (as amended) with respect to the inherent powers of the
\nlegislature to amend budgetary estimates proposed by Mr President? No one
\nshould, therefore, lend oneself to the use of anti-democratic forces whose
\nwishes are far from what they pretend to preach in this matter.
\nIndeed any member of the house or group of members can as well take this
\nmatter to court rather than undertaking the ignoble or opaque roles of
\n“bulls in a china shop” or agents provocateur.<\/p>\n
If Hon Jibrin, I or any group of members have any axe to grind with Dogara
\nand anyone else, it’s alright to do so personally but not to purposefully
\nand contemptuously ridicule the institution of the legislature the way
\nit’s being done at the moment in the hope of a forced leadership change
\narising from open blackmail and media trial. I choose to stand against
\nsuch criminality on behalf of the constituency I represent. However, if
\nactionable acts of criminal misconduct is established against the House
\nleadership or anyone of them, I would similarly stand for responsible
\naccount and sanction as may be necessary.<\/p>\n
I would wish to be schooled on the “fire-proof” safeguards preventing
\nexecutive-initiated projects from being “executed” in a similar or worse
\nmanner as the pictorial display from Premium Times depicts. Or that indeed
\nthat has not been the manner of implementation of those projects for which
\nabandoned projects abound in trillions of naira. What exactly is angelic
\nand saintly about the executive that totally lacks in the legislature that
\nall projects initiated by them are free of the ill of non implementation
\nor “cash looting” as against the constituency projects?<\/p>\n
Now what is really criminal about the so called “constituency projects” or
\nbetter stated “zonal intervention funds”? A fund that is proposed in the
\nbudget estimates by the executive and allocated on a standing formula to
\nall members of the National Assembly? Then implemented by the executive to
\nthe total exclusion of the legislature? Supervised by either the defunct
\nMDG on the same parameters as its own hundreds of billions of naira in
\nsimilar projects or more recently by the Ministry of Special Duties
\nreporting directly to Mr President?
\nWhy should the executive hold the NASS responsible for its own failures,
\nif truly the projects are manipulated in the course of implementation by
\nexecutive branch agencies? What is the guarantee that if those heads of
\nMDAs can so corruptly manipulate the constituency projects, that the
\nlarger chunk of the annual capital budget (mandate projects of the MDAs)
\nare not similarly manipulated on a yearly basis? Recall that the
\nconstituency project fund since 2012 has been N100billion or about 5% of
\n2016 capital appropriation.
\nWhy are we not seeking a holistic reform of budget implementation (as
\ndifferent from preparation) to ensure effective, efficient, value for
\nmoney and wholesome outcomes? It may be of benefit to know that over 21
\nother jurisdictions have one form of constituency project fund or another,
\nincluding the USA and Kenya. Why exactly is it important for the APC
\ngovernment to blackmail the Nigerian legislature out of its own model that
\nis implemented wholly by\u00a0 the executive itself?
\nIf on the other hand the members of the NASS want a change or review of
\nthe existing distribution formula that obviously favours the leadership,
\nis it not for them to do so through existing internal mechanisms as
\nenvisaged by section 60 of the constitution and the Senate and House
\nrules.<\/p>\n
It is my hope that this brouhaha that’s being so viciously promoted by the
\nsame forces that wanted “an executive leadership” for the Nass to tarnish
\nand blackmail the Legislature into fear and timidity will rather unit
\nmembers more to seek greater independence and jealously guard that
\nindependence in the interest of our maturing democracy. For should they
\nsucceed in forcing a leadership on us, this government will completely
\n“unitarize” our democracy and complete the push for a repressive and
\ntotalitarian brand of “democracy” hitherto unknown to literature.<\/p>\n
I am, therefore, much more enamored going forward; to defend the
\nconstitution by insisting on the long established “powers of the purse” of
\nthe legislature unless and until the constitution is amended or upturned
\nby the Supreme Court. And I will stand by the leadership of Dogara and his
\nteam in that regard. It is my hope that many more members will do the
\nsame.<\/p>\n
The veiled attempt at leadership change in the House of Representatives
\nwill definitely fail because Pro-Democracy members will remain on a
\nperpetual alert to defend what is just!
\nGod help Nigeria.<\/p>\n
*Rep. Linus Okorie,FCA represents Ohaozara\/Onicha\/Ivo federal constituency
\nof Ebonyi state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have followed the drama and intrigues being played out by the sacked Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, Hon Jibrin Abdulmumin with restrained but keen interest. I have also…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n