Dogara removes Jibrin as Appropriation Committee chairman

•I resigned voluntarily, he says

CONTROVERSY, on Wednesday, trailed the exit of chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Though the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, had, at the tail end of the plenary session, announced Honourable Jibrin’s replacement to be Honourable Mustapha Bala Dawaki,  the former chairman of the committee confirmed that he formally tendered his resignation letter after due consultation with his family members.

Honourable Dogara, after announcing his replacement, thanked Honourable Jibrin and the entire Appropriation committee for doing a proper scrutiny on the 2016 Budget.

Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that the lawmaker was sacked as a result of allegation of budget padding levelled against him by some of his colleagues in the House.

It will be recalled that in the heat of the controversies that trailed the passage by the National Assembly and assent by the President on the N6.066 trillion 2016 Budget, the Appropriation committee chairman was alleged to have inserted N4 billion worth of constituency projects in his federal constituency project.

While briefing newsmen after the plenary session, Honourable Jibrin said “let me first apologise to members of the appropriation committee. They are shocked and they are not aware that I have stepped down as chairman.”

He said the resignation was “a personal decision that I took and I actually planned to notify you this afternoon that is why I invited you to this meeting.”

According to him, “the work of the parliament is a continuous process that we have put in motion. Tomorrow there is supposed to be an engagement with the budget office.”

He then pleaded with his colleagues to continue the work of the committee and that of the National Assembly.

“I will continue to be a member of the National Assembly and I will continue to participate in the activities of the House,” he said.

Speaking on the budget, he said “I have always maintained that as chairman of appropriation committee, I did my very best.

“If anybody has anything that amounts to an abuse of my office or illegality, it should be brought forward and reported to the authorities, for internal disciplinary action of the House to take its course.

“As it is until date, no one has brought anything against me, that has been the case when I was chairman, finance committee for four years.”