A former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has hinted at the possibility of a fresh budget fraud in the 2018 Appropriation Bill recently passed by the National Assembly.
Mr. Jibrin, representing Kiru/Bebeji, who barely three months ago resumed from a suspension that lasted over a year, dropped the hint via his verified Twitter handle.
“I resumed work in good time to catch up with Budget 2018. Has anything changed in our appropriation process and the budget itself since 2016? Within the week, I will be sharing my perspectives and discussing some details of the budget. I will gladly answer your questions as well,” Mr. Jibrin tweeted on Monday afternoon.
Shortly before the passage of the 2018 budget last week Wednesday, the House of Representatives went into an executive session where PREMIUM TIMES learnt Mr. Jibrin raised fresh allegations of budget padding.
At the end of the executive session, Mr. Jibrin was also seen confronting the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on issues, holding a copy of the budget.
He has since declined to comment on the recent developments.
If Mr. Jibrin’s “perspectives” are issues bordering on budget padding, like in 2016, the house may be headed for another appropriations scandal.
Mr Jibrin was suspended by his colleagues in September 2016 for 180 legislative days after he revealed extensive budget fraud by lawmakers.
He accused the Speaker, deputy speaker, Lasun Yussuf; the Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the minority leader, Leo Ogor, of padding the 2016 budget with over N30 billion illicit constituency projects.
He submitted a petition against the principal officers at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of Security Services (DSS) and the Police headquarters all in Abuja.
![Abdulmumin Jibrin confronting speaker Yakubu Dogara on 2018 budget. [Photo credit: Reps official Facebook account]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2018/05/IMG_3529.jpg?w=305&h=201&crop&ssl=1 "Abdulmumin Jibrin")
![Abdulmumin Jibrin confronting speaker Yakubu Dogara on 2018 budget. [Photo credit: Reps official Facebook account]](https://i1.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2018/05/IMG_3530.jpg?w=291&h=201&crop&ssl=1 "Abdulmumin Jibrin")
Non of the security agencies appeared to have acted on the allegations.
After being on suspension for over a year, the speaker, Mr. Dogara, said Mr. Jibrin was recalled after apologising to the House.
