Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Mr. Nicholas Ossai has faulted calls for investigation of Speaker of the house, Mr. Yakubu Dogara and other lawmakers alleged to be involved in budget padding scandal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission.
Ossai while addressing newsmen said it is awaiting a petition from Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin who has accused the Speaker, Dogara, and other members of massive corruption.
He noted that the ethics committee would need a petition to investigate the weighty allegations of budget fraud against the speaker, his deputy, Yusuf Lasun; deputy majority leader, Ahassan Doguwa; and minority leader, Leo Ogor.
The chairman of the ethics committee further blamed Mr. Jibrin for claiming that lawmakers “padded” the 2016 budget. He said the budget was merely “amended”.
Recalled that Mr. Jibrin, who was removed from his position as chairman of House Appropriations Committee last week, said the speaker, Mr. Dogara, and the other three principal officers, inserted layers of fictitious projects worth N40 billion into the budget for fraudulent reasons and called for their resignation.
“In legislature, you don’t talk about padding,” Mr. Ossai said. “Budget is an appropriation bill and is like other bills that you amend. You know in bills you talk about clauses. Every head in the budget is a clause. So legislators have power to amend it.”
According to him, lawmakers were allowed to introduce constituency projects as “effective representatives” of the people.
The chairman of House Appropriations Committee however declined to comment on Mr. Jibrin’s claim that besides constituency projects, chairmen of 10 committees “padded” over N284 billion through 2000 projects, into the budget.
His words, “We are waiting for petition and I know pages of newspapers are not petitions.
“The ethics committee looks forward to receiving petition. No petition has been brought before the committee; the committee must receive petition before it dabbles into any issue.
“Petition formalises everything. Without recourse to letter that comes from the House (after it received petition), the ethics committee can move into and investigate the matter but it is better empowered if a petition is forwarded to it,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Ossai stated that “Anything done at plenary or premises of the House cannot be investigated by external bodies. The House can regulate itself using its rules and procedures. Nigerians are yet to appreciate what the legislature is. We have mechanisms to discipline ourselves,” he said.
He added that external investigation can only happen after the house ethics committee probe. “In its report it can recommend prosecution by relevant security or anti-graft agencies. The constitution gives the House the power to solve its problem,” he said.
He also disclosed that the House could convene for an emergency sitting in wake of the scandal on one of two conditions: if one-thirds of the members petition the Speaker or leaderships of majority and minority parties make the demand.
