The suspended House of Representative member and Former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin has again accused the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, of threatening House members with running cost to gain their support.
Jibrin made the disclosure on Saturday to mark Nigeria’s 56th Independence Anniversary after he was suspended for 180 days.
He alleged that members of the House take home N10 to N20 million monthly as running cost instead of utilizing them for the benefit of the populace.
“I will celebrate the 56th independence of Nigeria by further exposing systemic corruption using running cost/allowances of the House of Representatives. The amount (about 10 million naira) received monthly at present by members is the least since the regime of this fraud called running cost started.
“At various time in the past Hon Members have received between about 10 to 20 million naira averagely per month and often pocket the money. I am found of telling my colleagues in the House that only international footballers like Mikel Obi are known to legally earn such colossal amount monthly.”
Jibrin added that some even collect a whooping sum of N200 to N400 million upfront without anything to show for it.
“A dirty means was devised to receive part of the four-year cumulative of such money up front. So a member can take up to 200 to 400 million naira at once. Nobody is saying money should not be allocated to run activities of members. The problem is that the money is diverted for personal use, period!”
He noted that he is always frustrated and disappointed whenever he listen to chairman of the House committee on Ethic and Privileges and chairman House Committee on Media shameless defend the House perjuries against him.
“You can now understand my disappointment, frustration and anger when I listened to the shameless Chair Ethics, Hon Osai and Media, Hon Namdas and crooks like Hon Hembe, defending the fact that I was suspended because I falsely claim there exists systemic corruption in the House-Fraudsters!
“They open their stinking mouths and talk about defending the institution of the House as if they are not the ones that have and are destroying the institution. The running cost allowances fraud is what Speaker Dogara used to blackmail members to get support and ignore all the grievous allegations I raised.
“All Speaker Dogara did was to tacitly threaten members at the caucus meetings the night before our resumption by reminding them of the running cost they pocket. That was why when Prof Bolaji Owasanoye and his colleagues at PACC asked me why are my colleagues silent, I answered-most of them (us) are “beneficiaries”.
Jibrin therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari to protect him and his family as some security agencies have withdrawn his security detail.
“If Mr President had jumped into the matter at the early stage, trust Nigerians, they would have concluded that the Presidency is using me to fight the House. Such perception and blackmail would have been difficult to deal with. The silence of Mr. President on this matter is a blessing in disguise.
“Anybody who can reach Mr. President should inform him that in the face of several threats to my life and that of my family, one of the security agency had sudden withdrawn their officers protecting me. This has made me vulnerable in the face of such persistent threats. I have however taken my destiny in my own hands. It is a struggle I am committed to and no amount of threats or intimidation will deter me.
“I will use this period to convert my memoir into a book, teach at the university and enroll for a second PhD with research focus on Economic Diversification.
“Fellow Nigerians, thank you very much for all the support, happy 56th independence and may God Almighty bless you and bless Nigeria, Amen” he said.