Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has presented asset declaration forms to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
This is even as the President has urged the CCB to keep his form safe as he is sure a lot of people who have tested the bitter pill of his anti-corruption war will want to get back at him by 2023 after his second term in office ends.
The CCB had said that Buhari, Osinbajo, governors and other public officers whose tenure ends on May 29 must submit their end-of-tenure asset declaration forms on May 28, 2019.
Buhari, who said he was going to quickly fill his form and dispatch it to CCB, said: “I am very pleased that you are here. I assure you I will quickly fill this form and dispatch it to you so that at the end of 2023.
I believe there are a lot of people that will like to get back at me. So please, make sure you keep it safe because there are people who believe they shouldn’t be questioned but they are being questioned, and some of them are already in trouble. I expect them to fight back and this is one of the instruments. So, I hope you will keep it when I finish.”
Buhari, who commended the CCB boss for accepting to serve, said: “I am very pleased, I think I am meeting you for the first time since your appointment. I have never met you before. I thank you for accepting to be in this very important institution and I thank you very much for serving me my forms, which I must fill constitutionally before my second term of office.
“I think we cannot over emphasize the importance of your office because Nigerians are notorious for cutting short and not giving account of their public responsibilities and we are trying to impress it on our nation and the world that this administration is based on accountability.
“It is only institutions like yours that will bail us out from the efforts that we have been making to make sure that people in public offices do not abuse that public office and that those who come in and those that are leaving in certain positions make sure that they hold the integrity of the office and of the country generally in high esteem.”
The Chairman of the CCB, Muhammad Isah, accompanied by Murtala Kankia, Dr. Emmanuel Attah and other board members, made the presentation at the State House, Abuja on Monday.
Isah said: “Mr President, as part of the constitutional requirements, there is need for every public officer – President, Vice, Minister and members of the National Assembly to swear in his assets declaration and liabilities in compliance with paragraph 11 sub 1 of the part 1 of the fifth schedule of the constitution. It is in view of this we found it pertinent to present ourselves and also present forms to Mr President and the Vice President for end of tenure and beginning of new tenure in office. The forms are readily here with us for presentation.”
Those at the brief event included the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.