One year anniversary: ‘Publish your assets,’ SERAP tells Tinubu, Shettima, others

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his first year in office as an avenue to publish his assets declaration form.

SERAP asked the President to “use 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,” the organisation said in a statement issued on Sunday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

SERAP urged Tinubu “to encourage your Vice-President Kashim Shettima, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms.”

It noted that to “promote public trust and establish a system of transparency, accountability and public participation,” Tinubu should “urgently propose a constitutional amendment to include provisions on the creation of asset declaration database to publish government officials’ asset declaration forms before, during, and after serving in public office.”

SERAP, in its statement, indicated that “openness and transparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would strengthen the country’s democracy and promote accountability at all levels of government.”

The statement partly read, “You promised in your inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, ‘to take proactive steps to discourage corruption’, and to ensure that ‘Nigeria is impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law’.

“We 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.

“Transparency 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.”

SERAP stated that the declaration of assets by public officials is a “matter of public interest and your government ought to provide the leadership,” noting that one of the ways through which “corrupt politicians in the country have perpetuated corrupt practices is through hiding assets.”

“Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]; and Nigeria’s international anticorruption and human rights obligations.

“Information regarding the property and economic interests of public officials ought to be accessible to the public through a website created for this purpose,” SERAP said.

It stated further that “because asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights.

“There is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources.

“Publishing 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 scrutinise the assets and worth of public officials before taking office and at the end of their term of office.”

SERAP highlighted sections of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Tribunal Act, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and Articles 7(4) and 8(5) of the UN Convention against Corruption, among others, as supportive of assets declaration by public officers.

“We 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,” the organisation urged.

As part of his resolve to ensure maximum efficiency in his administration, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, told Sunday PUNCH of Tinubu’s readiness to fire underperforming ministers who fail to deliver on targets set for them.

Onanuga also rated the performance of the administration high as it approaches its first year in office, giving it a score of 70 per cent.