Budget Padding: Group petition fresh allegations against Jibrin

As events continue to unfold in the Yakubu Dogara versus Abdulmumin Jibrin matter in House of Representatives, a fresh petition has been routed to Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, against Jibrin, alleging that he as former House chairman on Finance got himself involved for some years in the abuse of the appropriation process.

The petition, written by the anti-corruption unit of the National Youth Council, NYC was addressed to the Acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and signed by Ifeanyi Okonkwo.

It was alleged that in the 2014 Budget, while serving as House Committee chairman on Finance, Jibrin padded the budget with projects domiciled under the National Commission For Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

The petitioners further alleged that on September 26, 2014, the Agency awarded all the projects to front companies provided by Hon Jibrin and purportedly copied him in each of the 10 award letters.

The petition alleges that each of the 10 contracts was awarded to Kano State, but pointed out there was no location for the contracts; also no mention was made of the people who are going to benefit from the contracts, neither the name of the constituency for where the projects will be executed. It was merely awarded to Kano and the honourable member, representing Bebeji Constituency which is Jibrin Abdulmumin, who was copied the letter of contract award.

In the two page petition which was backed by some attached documents, copies of which were made available to LEADERSHIP Sunday, the petitioners also allege that the 10 contracts had an execution time frame of just two weeks, which they say does not show that there was any intention of getting the projects executed in the first place.

According to the petitioners what happened in NCFR was the same thing that happened to all the agencies that Jibrin domiciled his 2014 constituency projects.

It was said that once these projects were passed in the budget, Jibrin would approach the agency and get the agency to give his front companies award letter and a short execution time, the companies would then be given a letter of completion immediately, which would be dated within two weeks deadline and the cheques would be written in the name of the companies and copied to him.

On the side of the refugees and IDPs commissions, the petitioners are examining Jibrin for awarding contracts for fertilizers which are for farming, nursery seedlings, and Volkswagon Golf cars against addressing malnutrition issue among the refugees and IDPs.

The petitioners therefore urged the EFCC to investigate and ascertain the extent of the culpability of the commissioner of NCFR in the award of the contracts and to do same on Hon Jibrin for same reason.