Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday said
those who are calling for his prosecution following allegations of
budget padding leveled against him by the sacked chairman of the House
of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin, are
ignorant of legislative laws. Speaking at a civil society meeting in
Abuja yesterday August 11th, Dogara said legislators are protected by
the constitution when they are seen to be carrying out their legislative
function. Dogara last week stated that budget padding isn't an offense.
“It doesn’t even make sense and they have forgotten about Section 30 of
the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, and others which
says most of the things we do in the National Assembly are privileged.
They cannot be grounds for any investigation on the procedure or
proceedings to commence against a member of parliament, either the
Speaker or the President of the Senate, once they are done in the
exercise of their proper functions. The Constitution talks about the
estimates of revenue and expenditure to be prepared and laid before the
National Assembly. The constitution did not mention the word budget. And
the reason is very simple. Budget is a law. Going by very pedestrian
understanding of law which even a part one law student can tell is that
the functions of government is such that the legislature makes the law,
executive implements and the judiciary interprets the law. The budget
being a law, therefore, means it is only the parliament that can make it
because it is a law. And I challenge all of us members the media and
civil society organisations to look at our law and tell me where it is
written that the president can make a budget" he said
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