BREAKING NEWS, Featured, Politics
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The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, is challenging Bukola Saraki, senate president and other public officers, to declare their assets publicly in the spirit of the renew zeal to fight corruption in the country
BUKOLA Saraki, Senate president will have to go a step further to get the thrust of the Nigerian public who is currently angry over the spate of corruption in the country. He is expected to publicly declare his assets in line with the action of President Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo, vice president. The duo last week announced publicly their asset declaration which had been with the Code of Conduct Bureau to ensure transparency and accountability.
Their action is in line with Buhari’s electioneering campaign mantra of change that his administration’s will address the issue of indiscipline, transparency and accountability as well as recover looted fund hoarded in both local and foreign bank accounts. This must be one of the reasons Nigerians voted for him and he reaffirmed that determination on July 24, through Femi Adesina, his special adviser on media and publicity, when he said that “Transparency and Accountability” would be his administration watchword. He stated this at the 5th Triennial National Delegates Conference tagged: “Fostering Safety of Journalist and Building Synergy with Agents of the State” in Abuja.
This is why the issue of transparency and accountability has been on the front burner of national discuss and partly explains the agitation by the public that the senate president should follow the part already toed by the president and the vice president.
Leading the call for Saraki to do same as the number three citizen in the country is the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL. Debo Adeniran, chairman of CACOL, in an interview last Sunday, said it was the only way transparency and true change could be achieved in the country.
Adeniran said the current anti-corruption drive of the All Progressives Congress-led government would not be complete unless those occupying public offices could prove that they have not illegally enriched themselves. He is of the view that Saraki’s declaration of assets would motivate Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as all principal officers of the National Assembly to do the same.
Also to declare their assets are all ministers and those who will work directly with the president such as the secretary to the government of the federation and the president’s chief of staff must also declare their assets publicly.
So doing will make the public to know that they have clean hands. “Otherwise, they will become conduit pipes through which money will be siphoned from the public purse. Without such declaration, nobody knows how much they might have made after leaving office,” he said.
Adeniran also suggested that wives and children of public office holders must also be subjected to similar scrutiny because they were usually the beneficiaries of ill-gotten wealth. “It is now the norm that anyone who wants to serve in any position of leadership of the present administration should publicly declare his or her assets because already, we have doubts about how much these individuals have made over the years.
“We want to know how much they are worth and have a benchmark with which we would measure what they would declare at the end of their tenure. Their spouses, children and siblings should also declare their assets since they enjoy whatever must have been received by the public officials,” he said.
CACOL is making this demand against the background that Toyin Saraki, senate president’s wife, is being investigated by the EFCC for alleged financial impropriety. On July 23, the EFCC grilled the Toyin Saraki over her alleged involvement in shady contracts during her husband’s tenure as governor of Kwara State. On the other hand, Ibrahim Lamorde, the Chairman of EFCC, is currently probed by the Saraki led Senate over the alleged diversion of N1 trillion recovered in cash and assets from corrupt officials.
The senate investigation which started shortly after Saraki’s wife ordeal in the hands of EFCC has fueled allegations that the lawmakers may be seeking ways of getting back at the anti-graft agency. But the senate president has denied any ulterior motive in the Senate’s decision to invite Ibrahim Lamorde, chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, pointing out that EFCC is not the only government agency facing a Senate probe.
A statement issued by Bamikole Omisore, Saraki’s media aide, said the EFCC: “There are pending petitions against the CG Custom, FIRS and NPA, amongst others. Is it Senator Saraki that hired or engaged people to do this?” he said.
— Sep 21, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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Tags: accountability All Progressives Congress assets publicly Bamikole Omisore Bukola Saraki CACOL Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders Code of Conduct Bureau Debo Adeniran declare Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC fight corruption House of Representatives Ibrahim Lamorde Muhammadu Buhari National Assembly Toyin Saraki transparency Yakubu Dogara Yemi Osinbajo
