CCB Probes Ministers, Govs Asset Declaration

The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, has started a verification exercise to ascertain assets owned by the ministers sworn in last week by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution empowers the CCB to receive asset declaration by any public officer.

According to The Nation newspapers, a team of experts has been set up by the anti-corruption agency to find out the statement of accounts, and assets belonging to the ministers.

Apart from the ministers, the statement of accounts and other assets belonging to the new state governors, Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, and other federal, states, and local government appointees and elected officials will also be verified by the team.

The verification team, according to the report will be working with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence, NFI, to get information from banks, the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and other government agencies.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The CCB has changed its operational module. Unlike in the past when the bureau will be running after political office holders to declare their assets, it has put in place a system where you declare your assets before screening, taking oath of office or at the point of entry.

“We ensured that all the governors, ministers opened up on their bank accounts and assets, including companies owned and equities or shares in firms.

“With the digital world and Bank Verification Number (BVN), the NFIU and all the banks can easily confirm the net worth of all ministers, governors and political office holders.

“We have raised teams to certify the declarations of the affected political office holders.”

The Chairman of CCB, Prof. Isah Mohammed said: “We have put machinery in motion for the verification of the assets of the office holders. We have activated the departments connected with this exercise. They are states and local government, federal political office, federal public service

“We are working on the claims of the governors, ministers and other political office holders whether elected or appointed.

“At the end of the exercise, those with grey areas in their asset declaration forms will be invited to clarify the discrepancies.”

The CCB chairman added: “We will also verify some assets abroad as pleaded by some office holders.”

Meanwhile, not a few Nigerians have slammed Nigeria’s assets declaration process considering that what public officials declare to CCB is not made public.

Civil society groups in the country have been calling on President Bola Tinubu to emulate late President Umaru Yar’adua by making his assets public to encourage other officials to do so.