Nightmare for ex-governors, ministers as CCB verifies assets

Posted by admin Governors Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Indications emerged on Saturday that all the elected and appointed public officials including the outgoing governors have become jittery following directives by the Code of Conduct Bureau that they must declare their assets before vacating their offices.

Our correspondent gathered that the bureau was prepared to act in the spirit of ongoing reforms to enforce the provision of the Part 1, Section 3 of the Act establishing it.

The bureau examines public officers’ assets declaration and ensures that they comply with the requirements of the Act.

The move by the commission is to ascertain whether the assets declared by the governors as well as other public officers on resumption of office corresponded with their possessions and their incomes at the end of their tenures.

Already, the bureau said it had sent assets declaration forms to all the outgoing governors.

Following the outcome of the April elections, about 26 governors will be inaugurated today (Sunday) across the country.

However, Otunba Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State, Akwe Doma of Nasarawa State, Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, and Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State are some of the governors whose tenure ends today.

While some have filled and returned their forms, others were said to be foot-dragging out of fear of the extent of verification the bureau would carry out.

Indeed, the Head, Press and Public Unit, CCB, Mrs. Idowu Jokpeipo, confirmed to our correspondent that the bureau had sent asset declaration forms to the outgoing governors.

She also said that newly elected governors and public servants were supposed to obtain, fill and return their forms before they will be sworn-in.

Meanwhile, Jokpeipo said discrepancies in the assets, falsification of claims and refusal to obey the directive would land outgoing governors in the tribunal, adding that the leadership of the bureau was serious over the matter.

She said, “We have sent forms to them to declare their assets at the end of their tenure. We are monitoring them. It will enable us to compare their assets now and when they assume office. Some of them have returned their forms and we have sent commissioners to verify their assets.

“If we find out that there is contravention, we are going to charge them to the tribunal. We have also asked the elected governors and others to pick their forms of assets declaration because if they refuse to do so, they will not be sworn in.”

Our correspondent could not, however, ascertain those who had returned their forms and those who were yet to submit the assets declaration documents.

But it was gathered that the bureau would peruse each of the completed forms with the aim of identifying falsification of claims.

It was learnt that the governors and ministers risked prosecution and imprisonment if they contravened the directives of the bureau.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the bureau has published a statement in its website indicating its readiness to carry out fresh asset verification.

The statement also confirmed that the bureau had constituted teams of verifiers to investigate ministers and other top government functionaries.

The statement said: “The Code of Conduct Bureau in line with its mandate of ensuring high ethical standards and transparency in government business through the use of Assets Declaration is embarking on another round of verification of claims made by public officers in their assets declaration to the bureau.

“Teams of verifiers have been constituted to verify ministers and top government functionaries. Meanwhile, the conference verification method is also used where group of public officers including civil servants are invited to meet with the panel of asset verifiers in the Code of Conduct Bureau Assets Declaration Office, at 24 Haile Sellaise Street Asokoro.”

Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had said that it would quiz nine outgoing governors for financial impropriety. The governors are said to have dipped their fingers into the states’ coffers and transferred public funds to their private accounts.

–Punchwp_posts