THE HUMBLING OF ABDULMUMIN JIBRIN
Those who know Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, have come to accept his loquacity and braggadocio as a culture, his preferred way of life. They can’t begrudge him. Even when he routinely runs into trouble, he boasts how he would soon bail out of it. And he always does. Until last year, when he was suspended from the House and his cheerleaders and acolytes thought he would soon talk himself out of the mess. But they had another think coming. Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks, reinforcing that grandiloquence or grandstanding can only take one far. He was on suspension for many months. By the time he was called back to the House recently, Jibrin had cowered and been cowed to childlike penitence. Though he has not been seen in public since then, his minders and sources in his camp said he has become unusually reserved and less verbose. Jibrin who was suspended since September 28, 2016 for a period of 181 days was recalled to the House following an announcement by Speaker Yakubu Dogara that the lawmaker had apologized to the House. A former chairman of the appropriation committee, Jibrin was suspended due to the budget padding allegations he raised against some leaders of the House, including Dogara, his deputy, Yussuf Lasun; Chief Whip, Ado Doguwa; and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor. He also accused all members of the House of collecting unjustifiable amounts as monthly running costs.
Jibrin was later subjected to an internal investigation of the House, and the Ethics and Privileges Committee that investigated the matter recommended him for the suspension. Jibrin is peeved that some of his colleagues, especially members of the standing committees of the House that provided data for the budget have failed to rise in his defence even though they are aware of his innocence.