Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to \u201cuse the anniversary of your first year in office as an opportunity to demonstrate your oft-expressed commitment to democracy, accountability, and openness in government by immediately publishing your asset declaration form.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP urged him \u201cto encourage your Vice-President Kashim Shettima, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP also urged him \u201cto urgently propose a constitutional amendment to include provisions on the creation of asset declaration database to publish government officials\u2019 asset declaration forms before, during, and after serving in public office.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the open letter dated 25 May 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: \u201cWidely publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging your Vice-President, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their assets would serve legitimate public interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP said: \u201cpublishing your asset declaration form and encouraging others to do so would also promote public trust and establish a system of transparency, accountability and public participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to SERAP, \u201cOpenness and transparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would strengthen the country\u2019s democracy and promote accountability at all levels of government.<\/p>\n
The letter, read in part: \u201cYou promised in your inaugural speech on May 29, 2023 \u2018to take proactive steps to discourage corruption\u2019, and to ensure that \u2018Nigeria is impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge you to use your first anniversary in office as an important opportunity to underscore and reaffirm your oft-repeated commitment to democratic governance, openness and public accountability by immediately taking concrete steps to implement the proposed recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransparency in the details of asset declaration forms would also enable Nigerians to scrutinise the forms and verify the financial situation of public officials and alert about possible conflicts of interest and corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsset declaration forms are a matter of public interest and your government ought to provide the leadership and encourage other high-ranking public officials to harness new technologies to publish the details of their asset declaration forms online and make the forms readily available to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorruption is one the greatest challenges to improving the country\u2019s democracy and rebuilding a transparent, accountable and participatory system of governance. One way that corrupt politicians in the country have perpetuated corrupt practices is through hiding assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransparency and openness would also increase public confidence in the integrity of high-ranking public officials and government generally, and ensure that political authorities are honest when they provide services to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]; and Nigeria\u2019s international anticorruption and human rights obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation regarding the property and economic interests of public officials ought to be accessible to the public through a website created for this purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would also promote citizens\u2019 participation in the fight against corruption which in turn would increase the transparency of public administration and the citizens\u2019 trust in the integrity of state institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who voluntarily seek or occupy public offices and are catered for by the public have certain fiduciary duties to be open, transparent and accountable to the people regarding the details of their asset declaration forms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who clearly are trustees of Nigeria\u2019s wealth and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublishing your asset declaration form and encouraging your Vice-President, ministers and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms would enable Nigerians to scrutinize the assets and worth of public officials before taking office and at the end of their term of office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPublishing your asset declaration form and encouraging your Vice-President, ministers and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms would also send a powerful message of your commitment to uphold the country\u2019s constitutional guarantees and international obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], all public officers are to declare their assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cParagraph 11(1)(a)(b) of the Fifth Schedule provides that every public officer shall immediately after taking office and thereafter (a) at the end of every four years; and (b) at the end of his\/her 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSection 15(1) of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Tribunal Act also requires all public officers to declare their assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArticle 7(1) of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and Articles 7(4) and 8(5) of the UN Convention against Corruption also contain similar provisions and requirements for public officials to declare their assets before, during, and after serving in public office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Nigerian Constitution and the anticorruption and human rights treaties show the significant role that asset declaration by public officials plays in promoting transparency, accountability and preventing and combating corruption in the public service.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSection 109 of the Evidence Act defines a public document to include documents forming the acts or records of the acts of public officers. Asset declaration forms kept with the Code of Conduct Bureau therefore qualify as public documents under section 109.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your steps in taking steps to publish your asset declaration form and to encourage others to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to \u201cuse the anniversary of your first year in office as an opportunity to demonstrate your oft-expressed commitment to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n