United against the scapegoat

We knew our democracy was  endangered the day our former president said stealing was not corruption. We were again  reminded of this threat when the current speaker of the House of Representatives said budget-padding was not a crime. But nothing showed just how much our civil rule is threatened like the unanimous vote taken at […]

We knew our democracy was  endangered the day our former president said stealing was not corruption. We were again  reminded of this threat when the current speaker of the House of Representatives said budget-padding was not a crime. But nothing showed just how much our civil rule is threatened like the unanimous vote taken at the House of Reps last Wednesday.
According to news reports, the House committee on Ethics and Privileges had recommended the year-long suspension of Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin, in a nine-page report that was adopted unanimously by the over 200 lawmakers present; with no dissension.
My question here is: Why this unanimity? This must be one of the few times that a matter as sensitive as the one that led to Jibrin’s punishment is being handled without dissent. They said Abdulmumin Jibrin was suspended for ‘breaches of privileges of the 360 members of the House.’
But what we do know is that Jibrin became a whistleblower when the budget padding crisis led to his removal as Chairman of House Committee on Appropriations.
In different news conferences and media interviews, Jibrin disclosed to the world the role played by four principal officers of the lower legislative chamber, in the budget padding scandal. Led by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Jibrin alleged that his deputy Lasun Yusuf, Rep. Ado Doguwa and Minority leader Leo Ogor were all involved in the attempt to defraud the nation.
He went on to expose other instances of corrupt practices in the House of Reps which he said he had the capacity to substantiate with the necessary proof.
Yet rather than allow Jibrin to have his day in the chamber and then debunk his allegations, if they were untrue, the House embarked on moves to silence him. Today, for fingering at these principal officers including speaker Dogara, Jibrin has been accused of breaching ‘the priviledges of 360 members of the house.’ But since when did 4 equal 360?
When members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Lagos demonstrated at the EFCC office on August 29th, they demanded that the anti-graft agency should immediately investigate and prosecute all those named in connection with the scandal and I agreed with them. Today, over a month later, no such move was made even though Jibrin himself had presented petitions to the EFCC and three other agencies on the issue.
This proves that the CSOs that demonstrated in Lagos and warned that this matter must be probed because they sensed a ‘grand conspiracy to sweep it under the carpet’ are very right. Because there is still no concrete move by the nations’ anti-corruption agencies to wade into the matter. And the House leadership is having a field day persecuting their whistleblower.
This is not a defence of Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin, whom I’ve never met except on the pages of newspapers, this is a defence of freedom of speech-which the lawmaker has in order to expose corrupt elements in the House leadership- and a call for Justice; because there is every indication that Jibrin’s suspension is staged to derail the course of justice.
The federal government must wade into this matter and ensure that proper investigation is done into the budget-padding and other corruption allegations raised by Rep. Jibrin. I am particularly impressed with the fact that he said he was willing to go to jail if the charges he brought against his colleagues were found to be untrue or if he himself is found guilty of similar wrongdoing. I don’t think anyone will make such idle boasts if he has no case to prove against others.
The fact that he has bagged a hundred and eighty days suspension from legislative duty must not be an end to this serious matter. It should be the beginning.  The next step should be for Speaker Dogara and others named in the corruption allegations, to also step aside from their duties, until a thorough and complete probe of the matter has been conducted. The fact that over 200 members of the House united to adopt a motion against their whistleblower means that they have no scruples against making him a scapegoat.
The Senate and the Executive arm must rise to salvage our democracy, by making sure that the lower chamber is cleansed of corruption. The way to do this, is to immediately embark on a real investigation of Abdulmumin Jibrin’s allegations.