There are strong indications that the
President Muhammadu Buhari administration has directed all Federal
Government ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that their
members of staff comply with the law on asset declaration.
It was learnt that the Federal
Government was determined to take the issue of asset declaration
seriously as part of the moves to fight corruption.
Findings showed that the order must have
informed the directive by the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Customs
Service that their officers should declare their assets.
A senior government official
said that the administration would not only ensure that public office
holders declared their assets, anti-graft agencies would monitor their
incomes and the wealth they had acquired.
He added that the law on asset declaration does not only apply to politicians holding public offices, but also civil servants.
The source said, “The government has
directed that all public officers must declare their assets. Some people
wrongly believe that asset declaration only applies to politicians.
Civil servants are also required to declare their assets; that is what
the law says. But the law does not require them to make public assets
they have declared.
“There are many civil servants with many
mansions in Abuja. Anti-graft agencies will now be matching their
incomes with their wealth.”
In what was seen as a novel step, the
Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka, had, in a
statement on Thursday, said that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt- Gen.
Tukur Buratai, had directed all officers of the Nigerian Army to declare
their assets.
He added that Buratai had declared his
assets on his appointment as Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force
in May 2015 and when he was appointed as Chief of Army Staff in July
2015.
Kukasheka had said, “This directive is
in order, considering the fact that all military officers are having
Presidential Commission and are public servants, as well as subject to
both civil and military laws. In addition, given the current drive of
the country for probity and accountability, the Nigerian Army should not
only key in but should be one of the key drivers for such a laudable
project.”
The Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr. Sam Saba, had in an interview with Saturday PUNCH last year, expressed concern that most military personnel had not been declaring their assets.
He had stated, “Some of the military
personnel declare but most of them are not declaring (theirs). They used
to declare (their assets) in the early 90s but somehow, they just
stopped. Only some of them who are service chiefs declare, but the
remaining ones do not fill the forms.”
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col.
Hameed Ali (retd.), had on January 15, directed all officers of the
service to declare their assets within two weeks. The Nigeria
Immigration Service on its part, had on Thursday, said that its
personnel had taken asset declaration seriously.
The NIS Public Relations Officer,
Ekpedeme King, stated that every immigration officer adhered to the CCB
requirement for civil servants to declare their assets in their forms.
He said that officers of the service declare their assets periodically in line with the Code of Conduct for public officials
He said, “We don’t need to issue fresh
directives to our personnel to declare their assets because they have
been doing that periodically. This is in line with the Code of Conduct
for public officials and it is compulsory for all revenue generating
agencies of the government.”
Assets declaration: Police keep mum
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to
respond to inquiries about asset declaration by its personnel, a code of
conduct requirement for public officials.
The authorities of the military and the
Nigeria Customs Service had directed their personnel to declare their
assets as part of efforts to sanitise the polity and as required by law.
Saturday PUNCH had asked the
Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, if police operatives
had been declaring their assets as required by the law and if not,
whether the management would direct police personnel to declare their
assets.
She promised to get back to our correspondent, but she had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report at 8pm on Friday.
But the source, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said the present administration would not take the issue of asset declaration as a mere formality.
He said, “From now on, the asset
declaration forms will not be filled and dumped somewhere. Anti-graft
agencies will do their work by monitoring those who have acquired
illegal wealth.”
He said that based on the Part II of the
Fifth Schedule of the constitution, civil servants were also required
to declare their assets. According to the Fifth Schedule, besides the
President, the Vice-President, governors and their deputies, others
required to declare their assets include the Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Head of the Civil service, Permanent Secretaries,
Directors Generals and all other persons in the civil service of the
federation or of the state.
Public officers must abide by the law – Presidency
When contacted, the Special Adviser to
the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said, “If it is
the law, it should be complied with.”
The presidential aide was responding to a
question on whether the recent directives by some agencies that their
staff should declare their assets were part of the renewed efforts of
the administration to fight corruption was a directive by the President.
Source: Saturday PUNCH