HOUSE of Representatives speaker Yakubu Dogara and eight other principal officers at different times were paid over N10bn (£22.75m) in controversial allowances according to the former chairman of the House's appropriation committee Hon Abdumumin Jibrin.
Earlier this year, the House was left embarrassed after the budget was passed on to it for deliberation but by the time it was handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari to sign, it had been padded. As a result of the embarrassing crisis, Hon Jibrin was sacked from his position and since then, he and the leadership of the House have been at each other's throats.
Hon Jibrin has already gone to court to stop the police from arresting or questioning him over allegations that he padded the budget. He is also seeking judicial relief to stop the House of Representatives from reconvening or suspending him.
Carrying on his campaign against Hon Dogara and the House leadership, Hon Jibrin said the allowances they were paid was part of the endemic corruption going on in the lower chambers of the National Assembly. He also said the social, political and economic problems of the country’s emanated from the House.
According to Hon Jibrin, the speaker Hon Dogara who was first elected in 2007 has so far collected N1.5bn as running costs. He also disclosed that the majority leader of the House, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, deputy speaker Yusuf Lasun and the chief whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa have so far received N1.2bn, N800m and N1.2m respectively.
Hon Jibrin said: “From computation of various sub-heads of allowances of the House, Speaker Yakubu Dogara has been in the House from 2007 to date, he has received about N1.5bn. Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun has been in the house from 2011 to date, he has received about N800m. House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has been in the House from 2003 to date, he has received about N1.2bnm while deputy house leader Buba has been in the House from 2007 to date and has received about N1.2bn, while chief whip Alhassan Doguwa who has been in the House from 2003 to date, has received about N1.2bn.
"Deputy whip Pally Iriase has been in the house from 2011 to date and has received N700m, while minority leader Leo Ogor has been in the House from 2007 to date and has received N1.2bn. Deputy minority leader Barde has been in the House from 2011 to date and has received N700m, minority whip Chuma has been in the House from 2007 to date, receiving N800m, while deputy minority whip Binta has been in the House from 2011 to date and received N700m."
According to Hon Jibrin, between these 10 principal officers, the country has lost about N10bn and still counting. He added that in most cases with few exceptions, these funds are diverted for personal use.
"I will provide further break down of these figures in due course. I will also provide 50 additional names of members with worst cases of diversion of such funds in due course so we can name and shame them,” Hon Jibrin added.
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