ANTI-CORRUPTION: Public Declaration Of Assets Incomplete Without Verification Mechanism

The 1999 Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria empathetically requires public office holders to declare personal assets on assumption of offices. Based on this provision, President Mohammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN candidly declared personal assets to the public, regrettably an action that was also taken by the previous administrations that declined to do same after leaving office. However, declaration of assets for public office holders which connotes accountability is at the moment a mere propaganda in Nigeria.

By common sense, it is indispensable for someone who declared assets or belongings on entry into a place to do same on exit, if not, a futile or inchoate exercise.
Today, it is argued that such responsibility is discretionary. Then, a pertinent issue that remains unaddressed is the duties or objectives of too many agencies over the same corruption, to wit; Code of Conduct Bureau, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if a task as declaration of assets of public office holders could be daringly tagged optional.

In other words, it is reasonable to, exclusively on this note partially exonerate those state governors that still refused to toe the line of the President and Vice President to publicly declare their assets knowing that such exercise is so far never an issue at the time of leaving offices. Another fundamental issue is the goal and pedigree of the officials of the anti-corruption agencies putting into consideration the recent bombshell over some of the loots recovered from the former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Deipreye Alamieyeseigha and others which were allegedly diverted to private pockets by the same arrowheads of the prosecuting anti-corruption agencies in connivance with yet to be disclosed top government officials. This imperatively entails that for a meaningful impact to be attained, the public declaration of assets should be holistic, and essentially start with the officials of the anti-corruption agencies, rather than the present system of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” that is evidently in vogue.

Analytically, the President and Vice President’s actions indicate the present administration’s resolve to be distinguished by exemplary leadership, and a clear determination and commitment to selflessly serve the people and the fatherland. Indeed, the ongoing controversies over the declarations are uncalled for, particularly in contradistinction with the unverifiable or anticipatory assets declared by their predecessors. However, the onus rests solemnly on them to set a precedent by doing same at the expiration of office rather than tag along the footsteps of the erstwhile Presidents and former public officers, essentially, by the force of or pursuant to the ‘change’ mantra in Nigeria which could be attested so far to be in progress. No doubt, with the well detailed lists of assets including livestock presented to the public by the President, and in similar vein by the Vice President, invariably, the duo will hopefully not emulate their predecessors to shun declaration of assets after leaving office, be it discretionary or mandatory.

Recall that despite the fact that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight-years administration which to a notable extent led a war against corruption albeit selective as believed in most quarters, none could adequately give account of stewardship as expected of public officers in other countries of the world irrespective of his private presidential library funded with over N2billion raised unflinchingly from the public while in office through the instrument of office. The erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration which, on the other hand was supported with high hopes of “fresh air” with emphasis on having only a pair of shoes at a particular point, in similar vein ultimately served themselves satisfactorily or were served with tax payers money for six years, and till date, no indication to declare assets after leaving office.

It is indeed sad that after the sixteen years of uninterrupted PDP governments without any tangible achievements on ground, not to talk of declaration of assets, only private gigantic exquisite estates sumptuously scattered all over the Federal Capital Territory believed to be owned by top government officials with surrogates are the dividends that accrued from our hard earned democracy. Meanwhile, a whooping sum of N2.740tr was allegedly spent in the past sixteen years on the power sector with only epileptic power supply to show for it.

Practically, the lists presented by Mr. President and his Vice are reasonable. Sometime ago, a PDP gubernatorial candidate and member of the upper legislative house outrageously declared about N3trillion as his assets for his anticipated occupation of the government house as the Anambra state governor, which didn’t materialize. The controversial assets prompted severe confusions as it didn’t accentuate on whether it was a prospective asset (anticipatory loots) after leaving office as the state governor or current assets. With the verifiable declaration of assets of President Mohammadu Buhari and Prof Yemi Osinbajo on assumption of office, the sincerity, transparency and purposefulness of the present APC government is remarkably unparalleled.

Incidentally, some have criticized this position having been told earlier during the politicking era that friends and admirers rallied around General Buhari to raise even the nomination fee of about N25m to contest the primaries on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Admittedly, the President and the Vice President could be broke at that point of expression of interest to contest the election but may not remain at the same situation after election, and not necessarily by soiling their hands. Perhaps, we forgot that friends and associates usually intervene to support contestants financially particularly after successfully emerging as the party’s candidate. On the other hand, another faction criticized the laudable actions of the new administration on the ground of “declaration of assets after three months in office” rather than calling upon the former administration to declare assets after leaving office.

Prominently, the utmost concern is the need on such exercises if at the end of the tenure, the same government officials that boldly declared assets even few days after assumption of office are reluctant to do the needful. In a nutshell, it is a non sequitur and tantamount to fooling the citizens and indeed, the height of insults on our sensibilities. Obviously, it is mundane, misconception of ideas and fundamentally, a deviation from conventional norms to persistently demand for assets declarations from the incoming government, though a desideratum notwithstanding, while the former administration is yet to be called upon to declare assets after leaving office by the same crusaders. The clamour will only be logical, objective and taken seriously if it is not selective but in sequence.

The sixteen years of maladministration of the Peoples Democratic Party governments were characterized by earsplitting emphasis on asset declarations during the campaigns and some actually did without much ado after swearing-in, but at the expiration of the tenures, it all became extraneous issues and subjected to discretion, and none ever considered it expedient to think towards that direction. Sadly, the governmental agencies that are saddled with the onerous tasks of ensuring compliance are disappointingly taking the back seats and watch, and even connive to share the loots. This singularly explains the reason why the loots recovered from some culprits or rather unfortunate public officers could be munificently diverted or shared by other privileged public officers who egoistically lead the anti-corruption war.

Suffice to say that as the present administration is doing the needful by declaring assets on entry, logically those that handed over to them should be  mandated to declare theirs, be it willingly or otherwise, if not, the whole exercise is errant nonsense. To declare assets on assumption of office as usually witnessed in PDP governments for the past over one and half decades with no corresponding actions while leaving office is more or less deceits.  Succinctly, accountability or answerability is the hallmark of democracy, hence, the present administration should not just stop at the declaration of their assets but to ensure that the predecessors sign-out properly by accounting for their stewardships, hence the inevitability of declaration of their assets accordingly.