Jibrin Fights On, Gives House Leadership Seven Days Ultimatum

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, September 29, (THEWILL) – Former House of Representatives Chairman on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has given Presiding and Principal Officers of the House seven days to make public the total amount they have received as running cost in their entire stay in the House.

Jibrin, in a letter titled: 'Burden Of Proof Of Evidence: Running Cost Of Honourable Members Of The House Of Representatives', threatened to proceed with necessary legal action to compel the release of the figures if they fail to reveal the amount.

Jibrin, representing APC- Kano Kiru-Bebeji Constituency, was suspended for 180 legislative days on Tuesday , following allegations that he levelled against the leadership of the house of padding the 2016 budget.

“I wish to draw your attention to the fact that since you suspended me yesterday and the suggestion of the Ethics Committee report that my allegations were generalized and without proof, I have come under intense public scrutiny and pressure to prove that there exists systemic corruption in the House,” he wrote.

“I have taken it as a responsibility to prove to the public that the House is a den of systemic corruption. As colleagues, I have bound with many of you and built a lifelong friendship.

“I have some of you that I hold in high esteem. If you end up at the receiving end of the actions I will be taking up in the next few days, I want you to know there is nothing personal but commitment and fervent desire to ensure that corruption is wiped out of the House and reforms that will restore the battered image of the House and take back the House to the Nigerian people is implemented.

“Consequent upon the above and before I proceed with the aggressive steps I intend to take, I hereby demand that if you have illegally taken or stolen any money meant for the running cost of your offices for your entire stay in the house, you should return the money within one week to the clerk of the national assembly and for the purpose of clarity, I am referring to about 10million naira you collect from tax payers’ money monthly.

“The clerk will provide you with official account details, failure of which I will take necessary action to ensure that you return any money stolen and stand witness against you in case of prosecution.

“I have written to the Clerk of the National Assembly to stand by in anticipation. In the face of the revenue challenges and biting hardship the country is currently facing, there is no better time the country needs such money than now.

“In the case of the Presiding and Principal Officers, in addition to my demand in this letter which applies to them too, I have written them yesterday and gave them 72 hours ULTIMATUM to make public the total amount they have received as running cost in their entire stay in the House, failure of which I will proceed with necessary legal action to compel them to make the total amount each of them have received public.

“There are other issues of monumental corruption in the House that I will be raising in the following weeks which we must all deal with, but first let's get done with this one.”

Story by David Oputah