Date Published: 04/14/10

Aondoakaa, Abba Ruma, Maduekwe yet to declare assets...Risk facing Tribunal

Weeks after being showed the gate by Acting  President Goodluck Jonathan, ex special duties  ministers   Mike Aondoakaa, ex agriculture minister, Abba Ruma; and former foreign affairs helmsman,  Ojo Maduekwe, are yet to declare their assets in compliance to the Code of Conduct Bureau statute as enshrined in part 1 of the 5th schedule of the 1999 constitution.

Pointblanknews.com sources in Abuja disclosed on wednesday that others on the list are ex FCT minister, Aliero, ex petroleum minister, Rilwan Lukman,ex defence junior minister, Demola Seriki; ex education minister, Sam Egwu; former defence minister, Godwin Abbe, and ex economic adviser to Umar Yar'Adua, Tanimu Kurfi.

The ex ministers in violation may be arraigned before the Code of Conduct tribunal by the first week of May, 2010, and have their names published in national dailes.

Ex ministers are expected to declare their assets latest 30 days after their tenure or be dragged before the code of conduct bureau tribunal.

According to the Code of Coduct Bureau, of the 42 in the Yar'Adua cabinet,  25 are yet to comply.

Spokesman of the Bureau, Idowu Jopkeyibo had in abuja on tuesday said ' ...17 ex ministers out of the 42 in the recently dissolved cabinet have declared their assets while 25 ex ministers are yet to do so as at April 13, 2010...all ex ministers are expected to have declared their assets latest 30 days after the end of their tenure.'

She warned that the bureau would not hesitate to drag ex ministers before the Code Of Conduct tribunal, who by the end of April failed to declare assets.  

Others on that list are ex education minister of state, Aishatu Duku, ; both junior ministers in the the foreign ministry, Jibrin Maigari and Bagudu hirse; Aliyu Bilbis, minister of state in the information ministry; and ex transport minister, Ibrahim Bio.

Pointblanknews.com learnt  that aside from alleged financial malpractice by some of the ex ministers, failiye to declare assets, and desperate loyalty to Umaru Yar' Adua were some of the factors that knocked them off.

Although sources at the EFCC told Pointblanknews.com that some of the ministers are being investigated for financial crime, they maintained that the issue of assets is being handled by the Code Of Coduct Bureau.

'We are sure some of the ex ministers would end up with us but, as for assets, the Bureau will handle that' the source said