The Code of Conduct Bureau has said President Muhammadu Buhari,
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, governors and other public officers whose
tenure ends on May 29 must submit their end-of-tenure asset declaration
forms on May 28, 2019.
However, other public officers, mainly members of the outgoing 8th
National Assembly, who were inaugurated on June 9, 2015 have up till
June 8, 2019, a few hours to the expiration of their tenure to declare
their assets, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Paragraphs 1 to 16 of the Part II of the Fifth Schedule of the
Nigerian Constitution list the categories of public officers who must
periodically declare their assets to the CCB.
But those affected with the wind-down of the 2015 – 2019 political
dispensation by virtue of the constitutional provision are the
President, Vice-President, President and Deputy President of the
Senate, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and
Speakers and Deputy Speakers of state Houses of Assembly and all
members of legislative houses.
The rest are Governors and Deputy Governors, the Attorney General
of the Federation and Attorney General of each state, ministers,
commissioners and Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Paragraph 11 of the Part 1 to the Fifth Schedule to the
constitution compels public officers to declare their assets to the CCB
“immediately after taking office and thereafter:
“(a) at the end of every four years; and
“(b) at the end of his term of office, submit to the Code of
Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all his properties, assets, and
liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of
eighteen years.”
The “guidelines” for assets declaration accessed on the website of
the bureau on Friday says a declarant must declare their assets within
30 days of being issued the assets declaration form.
Paragraph 2, of the guidelines reads, “Every declarant is
required by law to declare his/her assets/liability including that of
his spouse(s) who is not a public officer and children under 18 years,
honestly, sincerely and submit same to the bureau within 30 days of the
receipt of the forms.”
Paragraph 7 of the guidelines added, “Every public officer is to note that it is the requirement of the law to declare his/her assets/liabilities on:
“(a) assumption of office;
“(b) At the end of his term of office, “(c) At interval of four
years for public officers on continuous employment of government
whether federal, state or local government:
“(d) and at such other intervals as the Bureau may determine from time to time.”
Speaking with one of our correspondents on Thursday, the Chief
Press Officer of the CCB, Mrs Charity Utok, said the incoming political
office holders were given up to three months to make their declarations
to the CCB, while the outgoing ones must do so as soon as they “step
out” of office.
She said the implications of not making the declaration or not
making it at the appropriate time would be filing charges against such
defaulters at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Utok said, “They can be sworn in, and within three months
they have to declare their assets, otherwise the bureau will drag them
to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
“It is applicable to all public officers, both political
appointees and elected officers – from the councillors to local
government chairmen, commissioners, members of the state Houses of
Assembly, governors, members of the National Assembly, ministers,
Vice-President and President.
“For those who are finishing their tenure, they must declare as soon as they step out.”
She explained that the first tenure of President Buhari and that of
Vice-President Osinbajo would end on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, hence the
Tuesday deadline for the two of them to submit their asset forms for the
end of their first tenure.
He added, “Anyone who fails to declare their assets will be taken before the tribunal.
“Those in the asset declaration section of the tribunal will
compile their names and they will be charged before the tribunal for
trial.”
CCB state directors insist no going back on deadline
Following the directive, state directors of the CCB in various
states, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH, stated that the Bureau had said
there was no going back on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 deadline set for the
submission of asset forms.
The Director of the CCB in Bauchi State, Ibraheem Mahmood, said, “The
headquarters of the Bureau has set aside Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th
May as the last date they want all forms of the elected officials to be
submitted to them.”
He said, “The outgoing governor and the deputy also assured me
that they will submit their own today (Friday) because they have
collected the forms and sent their people for guidance on how to go
about it. We have guided them and they said they will submit it today.”
Also reacting on Friday, the Director of CCB in Gombe State, Panyi
Baira, said, “Although the deadline is yet to pass, they are complying
with the bureau. They will comply before the May 28 deadline.
However, sources within the bureau in the state were complaining that the level of total compliance was minimal.
CCB demands bank statements, title documents
Meanwhile, findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that governors,
ministers and other political office holders were expected to submit
their six-month bank statement alongside their asset declaration forms.
They will be required to appear later before CCB team in their
states to present title documents of some of the assets they claim
belong to them in the asset forms.
Governors rush to meet submission deadline
Outgoing and returning governors have intensified their efforts
to meet Tuesday deadline for submission of their asset declaration
forms.
While Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau through his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Mark Longyen, said he would meet
the deadline in response to an inquiry by one of our correspondents in
Jos on Friday, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, who spoke through
his media aide, Anayo Chukwu, said he would do the needful before
leaving office.
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, the Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr Enyinnaya Appolos, said the governor would summit
his form to the CCB before the expiration on Tuesday.
He said, “The governor is a law-abiding citizen, he has no
problems with compiling with what the law says regarding the
declaration of his assets. We will surely summit the form before his
second term inauguration.”
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom said he had complied with the constitutional provision on asset declaration.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Tahav Agerzua, disclosed this on Friday.
Senators, Reps, rush to meet deadline
Findings by Saturday Punch showed that elected senators and House
of Representatives members had started making frantic efforts to fill
and submit their assets declaration forms to the Code of Conduct Bureau
before the June 11 inauguration day for the Ninth Assembly.
Investigations by our correspondents during the week revealed that
many of the incoming and returning federal legislators were already
complying with the mandatory constitutional requirement.
Some of the new lawmakers who spoke with Saturday PUNCH said they
would do everything possible to submit the documents before the day of
inauguration.
It was learnt that the management of the nation’s apex legislative
institution even made it easier for the incoming federal
parliamentarians by procuring the forms from the CCB and distributing to
them during their orientation programme held in April.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman, Forum of House
of Representatives First-Time Members, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said
newly-elected lawmakers had started complying with the constitutional
guidelines.
He told our correspondents on Friday that his members were doing
everything possible to ensure they meet up with the constitutional
requirements before the day of inauguration.
Tunji-Ojo said, “We are all bound by the rules and regulations
of this country as law-abiding citizens. Nobody is above the law. If
anybody has nothing to hide, then he or she could come clean.
“We have to declare what we have as assets and let the
government have the records. It is part of fighting corruption. We must
fight corruption in a pro-active manner.”
Also reacting to the issue on behalf of the National Assembly management, the Director of Information, Rawlings Agada, said, “It
is part of the decision that we took during the orientation by making
the forms as part of the requirements for their registration.
“As a matter of fact, the management was proactive by going to
the Code of Conduct Bureau to collect the forms and make them available
to the elected lawmakers during the orientation in April.”
***
Source: Saturday Punch
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