It specifically advised Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to promptly follow suit, adding that it would be a good template for the incoming administration to encourage the same step.
It is not an exaggeration to say that much has been said about the deadly scourge of corruption in Nigeria, which has no doubt retrogressed the country when reconnoitered from all facets of national development.
While corruption is by no means a phenomenon that has seemingly become a culture among Nigerian politicians, it is considered by many to be the largest single impediment to our country’s attainment of sustained economic growth and development. However, the focus of this opinion article is on financial corruption by politicians and how to hold them accountable through the legal instrument of the Assets Declaration.
Without a doubt, corruption is generally defined as the abuse of public office for private gain, and itis often driven by individual greed and dishonesty. Against the foregoing backdrop, there is no denying the fact that corruption, as recklessly been perpetrated by Nigerian politicians, has assumed a worrisome dimension, so much so that there is abundant evidence to buttress the fact that it has since the adoption of a democratic system of government since 1999 since been undermining democracy, and the rule of law, stifling efforts made from the three tiers of government in ensuring that good governance is collectively attained.
Given the magnitude of its potential impact and its alarming and corrosive effects, the issue of corruption is something that should not be treated lightly by the populace or, for that matter, by the government.
In fact, corruption is fast eroding the collective quality of life of the people that variously voted them to power. It denies the people access to basic entitlements such as water, electricity, roads, health care, housing, and education. Corruption leads to human rights violations, hijacks political elections, and reduces investor confidence in the country. And corruption also undermines critical public institutions and enables organized crime and other threats to human security to flourish.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to applaud the advocacy being pushed by the leadership of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) as it has asked the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, to declare their assets.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, ahead of Mr. Buhari’s handing over power on May 29, 2023, to a new administration, SERAP urges both leaders thus: “Publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging other public officials and officials of the next administration to do so would enable Nigerians to scrutinize the assets and worth of public officials before taking office and at the end of their term of office.”
As gathered from the statement, the Nigerian 1999 constitution seeks to prevent corruption, and abuse of office through its provisions on the declaration of assets by public officers.
“According to the Code of Conduct Bureau, it’s mandatory for all public officers whether elected, appointed, recruited, or contracted by whatever name called to collect and sign “a form” from the Code of Conduct Bureau Office.
“The form would include only the Assets/Liabilities they own at the material time of filling it as all properties they acquired outside Nigeria must be stated clearly with the value of the said Assets in the currency of the country where the property is situated.”
Be that as it may, SERAP clarified that the public declaration law doesn’t compel a public officer to declare his or her assets publicly.
In the same vein, SERAP said Mr. Buhari needed to use his leadership position as the “African Union Anti-Corruption Champion” to widely publish his asset declaration form as he’s vacating office to leave a legacy of transparency, and added that aside from Messrs. Buhari and Osinbajo, other top government officials who also worked with the government needed to declare their assets.
It specifically advised Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to promptly follow suit, adding that it would be a good template for the incoming administration to encourage the same step.
It further stated, “Those who voluntarily seek or occupy public offices and are catered for by the public have certain fiduciary duties to be open, transparent, and accountable to Nigerians regarding the details of their asset declaration forms.
“Because asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights. There is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who clearly are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources,” it added.
“In the statement, SERAP also urged Mr. Buhari to emulate the good example of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who consistently published his asset declaration forms as president and governor of Katsina State.
“He also planned legislative reform to make it mandatory for all public officers to declare their assets publicly. He believed that publishing his assets would put pressure on other public officers to do so,” the group added.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to opine that not a few Nigerians have a skeptical view regarding the essence and practicability or rather the implementation of asset declaration to curb corruption in Nigeria. Notwithstanding, it is germane to note that whatever cooperation needed by SERAP, particularly from members of the public and Journalists should be given to them as Politicians and civil servants hold substantial power over the allocation of resources meant for all Nigerian citizens who elected them, and who in effect pay their salaries through their tax contributions. In fact, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), ratified by 166 countries, requires a legal framework for asset declarations of government officials. Not only that, research shows that an asset declaration open to public scrutiny is a way for citizens to ensure leaders do not abuse their power for personal gain.
In fact, seeing the implementation of asset declarations as a means of entrenching issues of ethics and integrity on Nigeria’s political landscape, there is no denying the fact that the leadership of SERAP deserves resounding applauses as its effort in ensuring that politicians are held accountable is unarguably laudable, given the fact that asset declaration is part of all codes of conduct. Not only that, its successful implementation will in the future put unscrupulous politicians in check.