Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked President Muhamadu Buhari and state governors to publish their assets in compliance with forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The organisation has given the leaders a seven-day ultimatum to comply with its request, failure which would lead to a legal suit.
SERAP is also asking them to clarify if they have had any reason to review and update the asset declarations submitted to the CCB, and to provide the summary of any such review.
SERAP said, “The summary of assets to be disclosed include, where applicable, the following: savings and other liquid assets, all immovable property and shares and actions in any private and public companies; property purchased by way of tender from any public-law entities and information about businesses owned.”
In the FoI requests dated 3 January 2020 and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “The constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the FoI Act, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is part of our laws, read together, impose transparency obligations on all public officials to publicly disclose information concerning their asset declarations submitted to the CCB, and to clarify any updated review of such assets.”
SERAP further noted that non-public disclosure by public officials of their summary of assets seriously undermines the effectiveness and integrity of the constitutional and statutory obligations to submit asset declarations, especially given that declarations are designed to curb grand corruption.
