Declare assets before appointing ministers, CACOL tells Buhari

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare his assets publicly before appointing ministers into his cabinet.

During the electioneering, Buhari had promised to declare his assets if voted into office and compel all his ministers to do so.

However, nearly 100 days after taking the oath of office, Buhari has yet to declare his assets publicly even as he has stated that he will appoint his ministers this month.

CACOL in a statement by its Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said Buhari would boost his anti-corruption image if he declared his assets publicly.

The group said by doing so, Buhari would also deter corrupt people from seeking ministerial appointments.

The statement read, “We believe that he is going to make declaration of his assets public because it is one of the non-prosecutorial ways of declaring preventive war against corruption and it is a way an anti-corruption leader should set the necessary example.

“His promise was that he would make his assets declaration public and cause everybody that wanted to work with him to do the same. Up till now, we are not sure that his assets declaration form is yet a public affair.”

CACOL urged the National Assembly to amend the law such that all public office holders would be made to declare their assets publicly.

The statement added, “We also know that the Code of Conduct Bureau doesn’t have the power to make asset declaration details public. It is only the declarant that has the power to make it public; except when one requires and applies for it under the law that established the CCB.

“We, therefore, suggest that the law should be amended to make it possible for the bureau to make asset declaration of public servants public. So, if Buhari has not done that, he has done a little wrong thing.”

The group said Buhari must make all his political appointees to swear that they have never engaged in corruption.

The group said Buhari had not done badly in his first 100 days in office. It stated that although Buhari had not executed any projects, his body language was evoking change across the nation.

It, therefore, noted that it would be wrong of Buhari to appoint anybody accused of corruption into his cabinet.