Budget padding scandal: Time to restore integrity in public processes

One subject that has been in the news and on the lips of millions of Nigerians in recent time is the allegation of budget padding, leveled against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and 12 other legislators by a former chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the House, Abdulmumin Jibrin.
The lawmakers are alleged to have manipulated line items in the 2016 Appropriation Bill and introduced additions in favour of themselves, in the name of constituency projects, to the tune of N40 billion.
When the news broke a few weeks back, not a few Nigerians paid attention to the ‘breaking news’ because many had thought nothing would come out of it, with history serving as guide.
That assumption derives, perhaps, from the usual ways such matters had been treated or resolved in the past. Whether a celebrated ‘investigation panel’ probed all parties involved in the ‘theatrics’ or it was politicised and resolved/swept under the carpet after closed door meetings, the over-arching outcomes were that nothing significant came off the actions.
The cases of Hembe vs Oteh, and Lawan (Mr. Integrity) vs Otedola (petroleum subsidy), to mention a few, are still fresh. The electorate have witnessed a handful of these cases over the years, especially since 1999. They have also witnessed how such probes or the integrity of resultant reports were rubbished.
So it becomes somewhat understandable that the latest ignoble revelations coming off the exalted House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the National Assembly, have failed to elicit the deserved reaction and condemnation from the public, law enforcement agencies and institutions.
While the alleged actors have maintained a seemingly deafening silence, it is disturbing that some members of the House have been using different fora to defend the appropriateness of the actions of the accused.
In the midst of these, the All Progressives Congress, in a move aimed at “preventing the party from being brought to dishonour,” intervened in the crisis. The party’s National Working Committee, on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, separately met with Speaker Dogara and Abdulmumin Jibrin.
The meetings, it was gathered, were aimed at addressing the crisis and preventing the removal of Dogara. According to party sources, the justification was that Dogara is a loyal party man.
This move by the party, to be sure, is most embarassing and an insult to the collective sensibilities of Nigerians.
No doubt, a few lone voices have been condemning the unfolding melodrama at the House. And expectations are that, contrary to the trend, justice will be served in the ongoing case.
A few Nigerians have called on the judiciary to address the issue and educate the masses on the legal implication of what is playing out at the House. While padding may not have clearly defined references in the Constitution, varied interpretations suggest that the allegations of budget padding could be likened to committing forgery, which is punishable under the nation’s law.
Fittingly though, some lawyers have broken their silence on the matter. Only a few days ago, a Lagos-based human right activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently wade into the crisis rocking the House of Representatives.
He asked the leaders of the House, who had been implicated in the budget padding scam, to step aside from their positions including the whistleblower, Jibrin, who was also accused of padding the budget with N4 billion worth of projects for his constituency in Kano State, in order to give way for thorough investigations.
Also, calls were made on the police and the nation’s anti-graft agencies to take over the investigations into the alleged scam from the Department of State  Services.
Aside from the lawyers, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project have also kicked. The group insists that all parties that have allegedly compromised the integrity of the 2016 budget should step aside for proper investigation.
The whistleblower, Jibrin had earlier, on Monday, submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and the Nigeria Police Force against Dogara and the accused House leaders.
In the nation’s anti-corruption battle, restoring integrity in our public budgeting processes is certainly not negotiable. It should not be sacrificed on the altar of personal interests or party patronage.
It is our belief that it is time state agencies such as the EFCC, the Department of State Security Services and the Nigeria Police Force, among others, acted decisively on the matter. And for once, culprits must be brought to book to serve as deterrence for future occurrence and to perpetrators.