Jíbrin won’t be paid during suspension, Reps say

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The Ethics and Privileges Committee in the House of Representatives on Tuesday said that former Chairman of Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano) would not be paid any entitlements while under suspension. The Chairman, Ethics and Privileges committee, Nicholas Ossai (PDP-Delta), said this to journalists in Abuja. It would be recalled that Mr. Jibrin was suspended by the House based on recommendations of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for alleged misconduct.

He had accused the House Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and three other principal officers of padding the 2016 budget with about N4 billion before it was passed by the National Assembly.

Mr. Ossai said “it would amount to counter-production and waste of resources to continue paying Jibrin, who had been suspended by the House for 180 legislative days, when he has not been performing his role of representation as required of him in the constitution”.

“Allowances are paid to a member based on the work you have put in but currently, Jibrin is not working.

“He’s not a member of the House, he has been suspended. I think it’s very simple to know that it’s only a member who is in the House and working that can expect allowances that members are entitled to.

“But once you are under suspension, your allowances are suspended”.

Mr. Ossai denied claims by Mr. Jibrin that he and other members of the House diverted committee allocations to their personal use.

“I don’t think I will join issues with somebody who has been suspended. Probably, when he resumes and he raises that issue, I will be able to address that.

“He is a suspended member. Right now, he’s not a member that I would not begin to respond to anything he says.

“But when he resumes and raises that issue on the floor, I will know that a member with all his privileges has raised an issue worth responding to, but as of now he’s not a member,” he stated.

Defending the outcome of the committee’s findings, Mr. Ossai said the House acted within the ambit of the law and hailed the reactions of Nigerians to the matter, whom he said have been so far positive.