Following the declaration of assets last week by the President and Vice President to the Code of Conduct Bureau as required by the constitution, the socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo “to declare their assets publicly” in line with “their apparent anti-corruption credentials in the interest of transparency and accountability”.
In a statement yesterday, SERAP's Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni, said: “We welcome the official declaration of assets by the President and Vice President. This clearly complies with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution as contained in Chapter VI Section 140. However, the declaration before the Code of Conduct alone falls far short of the commitment to publicly declare their assets.
“SERAP recalls that the president had stated 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. We now expect the President to fulfill this promise to the Nigerian people.”
The organization “trusts that the President and Vice President will move swiftly to publicly declare their assets and to publish widely the information on a dedicated website.”
“Public disclosure of assets will give the general public a true picture of the assets of the President and Vice President and will send a powerful message that it is not going to be business as usual with this government,” SERAP stated.