Nigerian workers on Thursday urged the National Assembly to ensure that
all ministerial nominees declare their asset publicly before confirmation.
Among the 21 persons nominated as ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari
are former Lagos State governor, Raji Fashola, ex-Rivers State governor,
Rotimi Amaechi, and spokesperson of the ruling APC, Lai Mohammed.
The workers, members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, stated
this in a joint statement by the union’s president, Boboi , and General
Secretary, Musa Lawal.
The TUC said that the declaration would be in the public interest.
The labour union said the public declaration of asset was necessary
following “worrisome” allegations of fraud against some ex-ministers and
officials.
“There is need to verify the financial and material status of each nominee
before they are allowed to assume such high offices,” the workers said.
Although Nigerian law does not mandate public declaration of asset by
public officials, President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Yemi
Osinbajo, have both publicly declared their asset as part of the new
administration’s policy to entrench transparency and anti-corruption in
governance.
The Senate, which has the responsibility to approve ministerial nominees
is not expected to heed the call of the workers as even the senators
declined to declare the asset publicly with only one member, Shehu Sani,
doing so.
On Thursday, the TUC said time had come to allow only people with proven
integrity to head government ministries and urged the Senate to screen the
nominees based on their integrity and past records irrespective of their
status.
The congress noted that many youth in the country have gotten into crime
due to unemployment caused by corrupt leaders in the past.
“It is sad how much shame politicians have brought upon this country.
“There is rarely any month we do not hear news of Nigerian youths being
executed in other parts of the world due to involvement in one crime or
the other.
“We will not be in this backward situation if the economy is doing well,
if we had steady power and adequate infrastructure and if successive
governments were interested in creating jobs for the army of unemployed
youths,” it said.
NAN