Editorial

Asset Declaration; element of ethical governance 

 

The law in Nigeria requires that public officials must as a standard practice enshrined in the 1999 constitution as amended, to file details of their assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau three months after they assume office. Although this declaration is considered private, a few Nigerians have since the return of democracy in 1999 made their submissions public, beginning with the second president of the fourth republic, President Umar Yar’Adua, in 2007. The president at the time also made sure that the vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, did same. In 2010 when Kayode Fayemi became governor of Ekiti State, he too declared his assets along with his deputy, late Funmi Olayinka. Fayemi even took his act further by declaring his assets at the end of his term in 2014.
Also, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also declared and made public their assets in 2015 when they were sworn in for the first term and again in 2019 when they were re-elected. The latest government official to declare and make public his assets is Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. Makinde was sworn in as the executive governor of Oyo State in May this year to begin a four-year tenure and upon taking oath of office, he declared his assets of over N48 billion to the Code of Conduct Bureau and went a step further to make his declaration public, an act which many have described as noble.
Governor Makinde’s declaration is an open challenge to others in government, especially his fellow governors. We are even surprised that the ruling party both in this state and around the country who talk about accountability all the time cannot get their elected officials to do something as small as making their assets public. What are they hiding or what do they want to hide? Why is it difficult to make your asset public although the law does not in earnest require that, but the law did not say that it can’t be done!
We think that asset declaration on assumption of office by any public officer is one of the ways of monitoring the deployment, use or abuse of public funds. It is even more effective in this regard if the same officers make public their assets at the end of their tenure to enable the agency concerned and even the ordinary Nigerian to assess their performance in office as it relates to the use of public funds. We urge the other state governors to take a cue from Makinde’s act and publish their assets declaration for all to know. It kills “anticipatory assets.” We believe that public declaration is a subtle but major way of fighting corruption, improve transparency, accountability and good governance. It would also force other government officials to not just do same, but serve as a kind of check to them to stay away from corrupt ways.
It is critical that we interrogate the reasons that have made our officials get cold feet when it comes to making their assets public. We need to engage this matter urgently as a measure of public good. We equally believe that the reluctance on the part of public officials, both elected and appointed, to publish their assets declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau gives the public the impression that these supposed servants of the public have things to hide from the people who elected or appointed them to serve. For in truth, the luxury of not making these documents public is the reason many public officers conceal some truths about what they own or do not own so that it is almost impossible to reconcile their assets when they assumed office with their assets when they leave office. And even if they have acquired more illegally while in office, it is impossible to pinpoint which has been acquired illegally and which was not.
If we strictly apply the code of conduct laws, it will go a long way to solving our corruption and lack of accountability issues. Such was the case of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who was alleged to have filed a false asset disclosure. Nigerians deserve accountability from their leaders and assets declaration is one of the many ways that this can be achieved to ensure that the nation achieve 100 per cent compliance, especially in a government that intends to take the country to the next level.
It is not too late yet. We expect more public officials to go beyond the constitution to get their assets to the public. Then we will know that the journey to ethical governance has begun.

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button