Of Buhari’s cold feet over asset declaration
Of Buhari’s cold feet over asset declaration
August 18, 2015 : Eniola Akinkuotu Leave a Comment
President Muhammadu Buhari
In this piece, ENIOLA AKINKUOTU looks at the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to declare his assets publicly in the light of his anti-corruption crusade
President Muhammadu Buhari shocked many
Nigerians last October when he announced that he took a loan of N27.5m
to buy the All Progressives Congress’ expression of interest and
nomination forms for the 2014 presidential primary.
The act endeared the Katsina-born
general to many who saw his stance as a departure from the profligacy
which characterised the campaign of some of his opponents. It also gave
him an edge over his co-contestants in the party who included the then
Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; a former vice-president, Atiku
Abubakar; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, and the publisher of
Leadership newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah.
While also delivering his speech shortly
before delegates voted at the APC presidential primary which held at
the Teslim Balogun Stadium, in Lagos, last December, Buhari said, “I
have always served Nigeria to the best of my ability. I have always
tried to give more to the nation than it has given me. This is the
principle of service that has guided my public life. Thus, I am not a
rich person.
“I can’t give you a pocketful of dollars
or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so.
The fate of this nation is not up for sale. What I will give you and
this nation is all of my strength, commitment, sweat and toil in the
service of the people. What I can give you is my all.”
Buhari maintained that he was the only
former Head of State that does not have a house in Abuja despite also
being a former petroleum minister and former military governor.
This emotional speech inspired many of
the delegates at the jam-packed stadium, causing Buhari to win
convincingly as the number of votes he garnered surpassed those of
others combined. Buhari polled 3,430 votes while Kwankwaso, who came
second, scored 974 votes. Former vice-president Abubakar got 954 votes
to occupy the third position.
In his three months of campaign, posters
of ‘Sai Buhari’ and ‘Sai mai Gaskiya’ meaning “an honest person,” and
“tested and trusted” adorned major cities in Nigeria.
At the climax of the presidential
campaign, Buhari stated that he would publicly declare his assets and
liabilities, if voted into power.
Buhari stated this in a document which
highlights what he would do in his first 100 days in office. He said he
would encourage political appointees in his administration to also
declare their assets publicly.
Buhari, in the document titled, “I
pledge to Nigeria,” also said that all his political appointees would
only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and
Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.
He said, “I pledge to publicly declare
my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees to publicity
declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment.
“All political appointees will only earn the salaries and allowances
determined by the RMFAC.”
The promise again gave Buhari an
electoral boost because the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was the first
and the only Nigerian President to have publicly declared his assets
when he assumed office.
Buhari’s promise also threatened the
chances of the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, who had said during a
live media chat that he did not give a damn about public declaration of
assets.
Jonathan, when asked why he had refused
to publicly declare his assets as an example for members of his cabinet,
said, “The issue of public asset declaration is a matter of personal
principle. That is the way I see it, and I don’t give a damn about it,
even if you criticise me from heaven.”
However, many Nigerians were shocked
when after being inaugurated as the President, Buhari and Vice-President
Yemi Osinbajo, declared their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau as
required by the constitution but failed to make the contents public as
promised.
The development has even been compounded
by the fact that 80 days after Buhari and Osinbajo took over, they have
not commenced the process of having the CCB verify details of their
declared assets.
The Chairman of the CCB, Sam Saba, said
the bureau was prepared to commence the verification of assets declared
by the president and the vice-president, but said the CCB was awaiting a
convenient time for the two leaders to carry out the exercise.
He said a conference verification which
involves the examination of the particulars of an asset and the field
verification which requires physical validation of a listed property had
yet to be done.
He said, “For instance, if you say you
have three vehicles, let us see the registration numbers. We don’t have
to see all the details. “Once we are able to see the receipts of the
purchase of the vehicles or the registration documents, we are
satisfied. But we still have to see them physically and that is the
second stage which we call field verification.”
The possibility of Buhari declaring his
assets publicly might have further dimmed as his Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has said Buhari never promised to
make his assets public. He said rather, it was the APC that made the
promise during the campaign.
While speaking with a social
commentator, Kayode Ogundamisi, during an interview, Adesina said, “You
need to get his words right. Go and check all that the President said
during the campaign. In no place would you see it attributed to him as a
person.
“But then there is a document by his
party, the APC, saying he would declare publicly. So, we need to set
that right; it was a declaration by his party. The law requires public
officers to declare their assets and he has done that.”
Adesina added that after the CCB had verified the assets, Buhari could choose to make it public or not.
The Nigerian constitution states in
Chapter VI , Section 140, that a person elected to the Office of the
President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until
he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the
constitution.
Although Buhari has committed no crime
by failing to declare his assets publicly, many see it as a betrayal of
trust as well as a setback in his ferocious war against corruption.
Also, separating the promises Buhari
made from those his party made during the electioneering seems to be an
ominous sign of what to expect of APC’s promises such as free meals for
pupils, allowance for unemployed youths and N5, 000 for every poor
family.
A civil society group, Stop Impunity
Nigeria, invoking the Freedom of Information Act, applied to the CCB to
request copies of the completed assets declaration forms by Buhari and
Osinbajo.
However, the CCB declined the request.
The CCB cited the absence of a prescribed law by the National Assembly
authorising the release of such information to the public, thereby
making it impossible for anyone to know Buhari’s assets.
Responding to the development, the
Socio-Economic Right Accountability Project, argued that the declaration
before the CCB alone fell short of the commitment to publicly declare
assets.
The group said Buhari’s public declaration of assets would boost his fight against corruption.
The Executive Director, SERAP, Mr.
Adetokunbo Mumuni, said, “SERAP recalls that the President had said
before the election that he would publicly declare his assets and
liabilities, and encourage all his appointees to publicly declare their
assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment.
“Public disclosure of assets will give
the general public a true picture of the assets of the President and the
Vice-President and will send a powerful message that it is not going to
be business as usual with this government.
“This will also follow the best practice
by former President Umaru Yar’Adua, boost this government’s fight
against corruption and impunity.’’
SERAP stated that public disclosure of
assets provided a baseline and means of assets to identify assets that
might have been corruptly acquired and for which a public official might
legitimately be asked to account for.
SERAP also “urged the President to
urgently take measures to seek amendment to the law relating to
declaration of assets to include the requirement of public disclosure so
as to bring it in line with international standards and best practices
such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption.”
Another group, Civil Societies
Legislative and Advocacy Centre, said Nigerians were requesting that the
president and the vice-president make public their asset declarations
to increase transparency.
Its Executive Director, Awual Musa,
said even though the two top government functionaries had fulfilled the
constitutional requirement of submitting their asset declaration forms,
they needed to take it a step further by making it public.
“What Nigerians are saying now is that
making it public will take it a step further because when they make
their declaration public, other public officers will have no excuse not
to follow suit.”
Another human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, said that it was unfortunate that the assets were not made public.
“Government is run on trust and
integrity; and this was one of the selling points for Buhari during his
campaign when he made a solemn covenant with Nigerians. There is no
reason to turn away from that path of honour which he has promised
Nigerians,” he added.
According to Transparency International,
most countries expect their top leaders to publish information about
their assets. “When they don’t, or if the figures don’t seem to add up
as it is happening in both Argentina and Nigeria, this can lead to both
public unrest and political instability.”
The organisation noted that the United
States’ approach to asset declarations is often considered a model
because it is both comprehensive and transparent. Although there is no
requirement to audit declarations in the US, they are available to the
civil society on request.
As Buhari continues his raging war
against corruption, Nigerians looking forward to September 7 when the
100-day deadline for the public declaration of his assets will lapse.
Needless to say, Buhari’s public asset declaration will boost
transparency and give credence to his anti-graft campaign. After all, he
who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
By Tommy Anaduaka
MR Omordi George Ugbomah was a Commissioner for Environment and Works in Delta State. In this interview, he bares his mind on the proposed amendment bill by the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa over the 2006 DESOPADEC Law. Excerpts:
Some chieftains and community leaders are reacting negatively to the proposed amendment bill by Governor Okowa to the 2006 DESOPADEC law, what is your take on this?
Having gone through the proposed amendment bill by Governor Okowa, I do not see anything wrong with the amendment. The amendment seeks to put a better structure of governance for the commission to enhance service delivery for which the commission is put in place. Suffice to say that the name proposed does not in anyway contradict the on-going geographical areas of competence of the commission (impacted areas occasioned by activities of oil and gas given international standard). Rather, it seeks to give a proper definition taking cognizance of the areas the commission has been dealing with.
The essential thing about the commission is how it should function to
maximize funds allocated to it. Suffice to say that the issue of
quantum and how it is derived in an on-going manner should be looked
into and make available to all those concerned at any time. This will
help to ensure equity and fairness in allocation of funds to all the
ethnic nationalities that make up the commission.
What in your opinion, does the recent tussle in the National Assembly portend for our democracy?
First and foremost, it shows clearly the level of growth of our democratic practices. More so, as it relates to the legislature and the political parties in power, it shows lack of ideological orientation as can be seen clearly in the existence of our political parties. Thus, there is no fundamental distinction between the majority party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties.
What is now playing out is an attempt to resolve conflict of interests among the elites as represented in the National Assembly with all the political parties involved.
Typical examples are the emergence of the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tambuwal and the present Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. As long as our political parties exist without proper party discipline and enforcement, this kind of tussle will continue and our legislature will not come to an appreciable level of sophistication comparable with other legislatures in advanced polities.
On former President Goodluck Jonathan congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the 2015 presidential polls
I strongly feel that, that singular disposition of former President Jonathan is simply a great mission accomplished by him.
Reflecting deeply on his political profile, particularly with his ascendancy to the presidency, I can simply say that God in his infinite mercy sent him to establish unprecedented standard and virtue of excellent practice in our collective endeavours of true democratization of our dear country, Nigeria.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/desopadec-okowas-proposed-amendment-in-order-ugbomah/#sthash.MAuLXSxd.dpuf
MR Omordi George Ugbomah was a Commissioner for Environment and Works in Delta State. In this interview, he bares his mind on the proposed amendment bill by the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa over the 2006 DESOPADEC Law. Excerpts:
Some chieftains and community leaders are reacting negatively to the proposed amendment bill by Governor Okowa to the 2006 DESOPADEC law, what is your take on this?
Having gone through the proposed amendment bill by Governor Okowa, I do not see anything wrong with the amendment. The amendment seeks to put a better structure of governance for the commission to enhance service delivery for which the commission is put in place. Suffice to say that the name proposed does not in anyway contradict the on-going geographical areas of competence of the commission (impacted areas occasioned by activities of oil and gas given international standard). Rather, it seeks to give a proper definition taking cognizance of the areas the commission has been dealing with.
George Ugbomah
What in your opinion, does the recent tussle in the National Assembly portend for our democracy?
First and foremost, it shows clearly the level of growth of our democratic practices. More so, as it relates to the legislature and the political parties in power, it shows lack of ideological orientation as can be seen clearly in the existence of our political parties. Thus, there is no fundamental distinction between the majority party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties.
What is now playing out is an attempt to resolve conflict of interests among the elites as represented in the National Assembly with all the political parties involved.
Typical examples are the emergence of the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tambuwal and the present Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. As long as our political parties exist without proper party discipline and enforcement, this kind of tussle will continue and our legislature will not come to an appreciable level of sophistication comparable with other legislatures in advanced polities.
On former President Goodluck Jonathan congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the 2015 presidential polls
I strongly feel that, that singular disposition of former President Jonathan is simply a great mission accomplished by him.
Reflecting deeply on his political profile, particularly with his ascendancy to the presidency, I can simply say that God in his infinite mercy sent him to establish unprecedented standard and virtue of excellent practice in our collective endeavours of true democratization of our dear country, Nigeria.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/desopadec-okowas-proposed-amendment-in-order-ugbomah/#sthash.MAuLXSxd.dpuf
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