Budget Padding Not Possible Without Connivance Of Executive Arm – Na’abba

ADEBIYI ADEDAPO, Benjamin Isaiah
The former Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Ghali Na’Abba, has declared that there can be no padding of the national budget without the connivance of the executive arm of government.
Na’Abba made this revelation while fielding questions from journalists in Kaduna, yesterday.
He also noted that it was the constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly to make appropriations on the budget submitted to it by the executive.
“I expect that after 16 years of the return to democracy, Nigerians would understand the responsibilities of the National Assembly.
“For some weeks now, there has been controversy over what is called padding. As far as I am concerned, the National Assembly has the responsibility to pass the budget, approve it and allow the executive arm to execute it.
“To my understanding, where the issue being referred to as padding comes into play is a situation where some members go behind and add items of expenditure to what had already been agreed upon, for either stealing the funds or doing whatever they feel like doing with it.
“But this stealing of fund is not possible without the active connivance of some members of the executive arm,” he stated.
The former Speaker said that, so far, all the “noise” emanating from the Green Chamber were mere allegations as no investigation had been conducted in the matter.
This is just as he faulted the calls for the Speaker’s resignation.
Jibrin, Doguwa defy APC’s directive, continue verbal attacks
The chief whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa and the immediate past chairman of the House committee on Appropriation, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumin, yesterday defied the ceasefire directive by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the alleged budget padding as they continued public altercations.
Jibrin in a statement yesterday, said irrespective of the party’s directive, there was a dire need to make further revelations.
“As you are aware, my party, the APC has intervened in the current crisis. I have made it a duty to respond to all the allegations against me, it has once again become necessary for me to make some statements, clarification and further revelations,” he said.
This is just as Doguwa, who featured on a weekend television programme, Sunday Politics, said allegations levelled by Jibrin were strange to legitimate legislative process.
According to him, Jibrin had just spent four years in the House and as such, lacked requisite knowledge of legislative nuances
“The term padding is strange to legitimate legislative process, it is inapplicable, you cannot apply it anywhere,” Doguwa said.
He also said the the 2016 budget enjoyed unprecedented appropriation process both from the executive and legislative arms of government.
“The appropriation of 2016 budget was unprecedented, because in the House, we jettisoned our constitutional power and sat down with the executive to prepare the budget,” he said.
Also, Jibrin in a fresh allegation, challenged the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, to explain the N25 million he spends without accounting.
“He should explain why on earth he collects N25 million every month just to spend it the way he wants.”
Jibrin said he was constrained to speak as Dogara had defied the party’s directive by launching verbal attacks against him.
“While I was determined to observe the ceasefire, Dogara and his group of few rogues didn’t. I called Sen Lawali Shuaibu and complained on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. He promised to reach the Speaker. On Friday the Speaker spoke to the press after meeting the president on the matter, and they launched a massive attack on me on Saturday and today Sunday in the media, while the party is keeping a sealed lip. Nobody will blame me that I responded,” he stated.
He further alleged that there was an attempt by two serving governors and some former members of the House to provide soft landing for the accused principal officers.
”This is a wicked attempt to drag many institutions and individuals into the matter to neutralise the issue, spread fear and sell the dummy that the entire country will go down if this matter is dealt with decisively. This is the biggest blackmail I have ever seen. Nigerians should know that the whole agenda of this blackmail is being coordinated by a group of five people, two serving governors and three former members of the House. I will give their names in due course. They have been running pillar to post and I keep wondering what really do they have to hide or are afraid of since they are not Members of the House,” he stated.
Jibrin flayed comments credited to the Speaker, which suggested that padding was not an offence know to any law, saying his petition established more fraudulent acts beyond padding.
“Surprisingly, they have resorted to using every tactics to narrow the allegations to only issue of padding, which in itself is a grievous offense, ignoring tens of other criminal allegations contained in my petition to the anti-corruption agencies. In doing so, they mischievously expanded the scope of the culpability to give an impression that the entire House, Senate and even the executive arm of government and some individuals outside NASS are on trial,” he added.
He stated further that henceforth, more damning revelations would be made available to Nigerians.
The former appropriation committee chairman emphasised that while he was committed to peaceful resolution of the crisis, he would, however, not drop criminal allegations against the Speaker and others.
“The meeting with the party went very well and in all honesty, they were very objective and showed understanding. I told the party that I will be part of any peaceful resolution EXCEPT on the criminal allegations I have raised against Speaker Dogara and 12 others,” he said.

He said it would be unfair to drag the upper chamber of the National Assembly into the matter, as he said the Senate was too busy to be involved in the exercise.

Jibrin also raised concerns that a group of people were preventing him from holding a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Source:- Leadershipng