The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, has told Nigerians that it lacks the power to make the documents containing the assets declared by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo public for now. It noted that only the National Assembly has the powers to decide the terms and conditions under which such documents could be made public.
Chairman of the Bureau, Mr. Sam Sada, who made this known to Vanguard through his Special Assistant, Mr. Gwimi Sebastian Peter, explained that although the Constitution of Nigerian made it clear that the agency should make available to the citizens the assets declared by public officials, the same law vested the National Assembly with the power to decide the terms and conditions for making such materials public.
He explained that the agency headed by him was ready to comply with the terms and conditions specified by the National Assembly on the matter but would only do so once the law was amended.
His words, “While the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) and the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act give the bureau powers to receive assets declarations, verify, examine, keep in custody and enforce compliance when there is a breach, the responsibility of determining how and on what terms asset declarations will be made accessible to the public was left to the National Assembly.
“Several National Assemblies have come and gone since the establishment of the CCB without addressing the matter.”
When reminded that the provisions of the Freedom of Information, FoI, Act, makes it compulsory for the CCB to make available to media houses and other interested Nigerians the assets of public officers, the chairman asserted that the FoI Act could not override the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution. He insisted that there was a lacuna in the FoI Act, which makes it difficult for the bureau to make public the assets declared by public figures.
The CCB boss explained that it was rather too early for Nigerians to ask the President and his Vice to make public their assets, noting that it was necessary for some patience to be exercised in order to see what the two leaders would do after having voluntarily filed their assets with the CCB.
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