Declare assets before you leave

Ordinarily, the group of public officers listed in the preceding paragraph does not require a reminder from a medium such as this. However, the reminder becomes necessary in the present circumstance of a stormy political climate where most political office holders in elective posts are deeply engrossed in thoughts and intrigues of how to either […]

Ordinarily, the group of public officers listed in the preceding paragraph does not require a reminder from a medium such as this. However, the reminder becomes necessary in the present circumstance of a stormy political climate where most political office holders in elective posts are deeply engrossed in thoughts and intrigues of how to either retain political power or sustain their political relevance. This is why it is important to remind those who are desperately aggressive for political power or relevance that they owe Nigerians a constitutional obligation in terms of asset declaration. A typical Nigerian public office holder rarely remembers those sections of the constitution that threaten his self-centered interests. What they remember and enjoy doing always, of course, is to quote and be guided by sections of the constitution that protect their wellbeing; forgetting however to quote or be guided by sections of the same legal document that seek to ensure that their actions and behaviors conform to the highest standard of public morality and accountability.

Nigerians are waiting to know from the asset declaration we are urging public officers to pronounce whether some of them have become poorer than they were in May 2007. Many Nigerians would be interested to find out how many “General Garba Ali Mohammed (Rtd)” would emerge from among serving governors and ministers and whose source of income after leaving office would not be more than a super market. The constitutional provisions on asset declaration as well as on breach of the code of conduct for public officers have remained over the years as abstract laws. If government or the Conduct of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which is the agency statutorily charged with the responsibility of monitoring and investigating assets acquisition by public officers had remained quite resourceful, the country would have been able to check and reduce large-scale fraud and corruption in the public service, at least to a tolerable level.

The CCB and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) are Extra-ministerial Departments set up to check the menace of corruption among public officers. Powers of the Bureau include among others: (a) receiving declarations by public officers; (b) examining the declarations in accordance with the requirements of the law; (c) retaining custody of such declarations and making them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe; and (d) receiving complaints about non-compliance with or breach of the provisions of the Code of Conduct. However, because the civilian administration under former President Obasanjo had an agenda to witch-hunt political rivals, it starved the organization of funds and rendered it inefficient. He thus established the EFCC in its place to “fight” corruption. But Chief Obasanjo got it wrong because while the EFCC can only act on reports, the CCB has a legally-backed statutory responsibility of monitoring assets acquisition by public offices before and after leaving office.

This column calls on at least two serving governors who recently made public comments challenging their critics or political opponents as the case may be. Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state challenged politicians in the state to “go to court or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)” if they feel he is involved in financial irregularities in the last four years as governor. The governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido also recently dared anyone to challenge him in the April 2011 elections. He remarked, “I have prayed extensively before I decided to contest for the second term. Therefore, I am not afraid of any politician that may confront me in the race”. Well, we give these two bold and courageous men the benefit of doubt. However, it is said in Hausa that, “Maza dangin goro, sai an fasa akan san na kwarai” meaning “Men are like kolanuts, you cannot tell the good one until you break it”. Therefore, if Talban-Minna is sure he has nothing to hide; and if the self acclaimed “Gomnan Talakawa” is also convinced that he is actually a “Prayer-Bank” with a clean bill of leadership from the kingdom of God, this column challenges the two governors and indeed their colleagues in the remaining thirty-four states of the federation to declare their assets publicly and immediately. Only then can Nigerians know and confirm that both of them are actually “men among men”.

While we wait to read the declaration of assets of all political office holders, we pray to Allah (SWT) to guide our leaders in their public remarks against their critics and/or opponents, amin.