Senators, House Of Representative Members Shy Away From Asset Disclosure

Federal legislators yesterday declined to follow the example set by President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo by making public disclosure of their assets.

Buhari and Osinbajo last week made their assets public in line with their electioneering campaign promises. While Buhari had less than N30m in his account, Osinbajo had N94m and 900,000 Dollars in his bank accounts.

However, Senators and members of the House of Representatives who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday said it was not mandatory to go public after declaring their assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Our correspondents report that there is a growing demand by the public for the legislators and even state governors to follow the example of the president and his deputy.

Meanwhile, only one senator out of 469 federal legislators has gone public with his asset declaration.

Senator Shehu Sani(Kaduna central, APC) on Friday declared as his asset four residential houses in Kaduna, two uncompleted office complexes, two inherited family house in kurfi, katsina state and Minna Niger state and one residential house in Abuja. He also declared that he has N22 million in his Bank account. Listed on his form were two wives and six children. Sani, an activist turned politician, is now having problems with many of his colleagues for putting them on the spotlight.

In an interview, Sani said: “Some of my colleagues are not happy over it but I don’t care because I did it as President Buhari has set a moral standard for all elected office holders and secondly, there is need for every one of us to come clean as regard to the suspicion and distrust between the government and the governed.

“The constitution makes it optional for elected office holders. If you so wish you can make it public or you do it secretly but the secret declaration has been abused over the years.

“Public declaration does not make one saint but it affords the public to know the worth of their leaders. I urge all lawmakers in Nigeria to toe this line of honour. “It’s better to be pelted for disclosing than to be cursed for not disclosing,” he said in a phone interview.

When contacted on phone, the spokesperson of the Senate, Dino Melaye said Senators cannot be compelled to make their asset public.

“Making asset declaration public is personal and Senators can only make their public individually. I can speak for Senators on this. I cannot compel any Senator to declare his or asset but it is a great thing that people are making their asset public and I support it. Watch out for my own too because there is nothing to hide,” he said.

Similarly, the spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Sani Zorro said that the public declaration of assets by individual lawmaker is optional.

He said individual members had even before their swearing in on June 9 disclosed their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau in line with constitutional requirement.

Asked if the lawmakers would follow the example of President Buhari and Osinbajo by, Zorro said it is purely an individual choice to do that.

“We have done that to the Code of Conduct Bureau. In fact, it was mandatory for every member to do that before inauguration. All those that were sworn in on June 9 filled a form in which they disclosed their assets to the bureau as required by the constitution.

“But making it public is an optional thing. However, we’ll welcome any member that comes out publicly to declare their assets. It will be in line with transparency and accountability in governance. It will deepen our democracy,” Zorro said. Also speaking, Rep Aminu Saleh Jaji, of Kauran Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara state said: “It’s not
the mere declaration that is the issue here, but this public declaration is more for the executive, president and his deputy, governor and his deputy.

“But as lawmakers, you won’t be sworn-in unless you declare your assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau and a certificate in that regard is issued to you. And all the members did that,” he said.

For his part, Rep Abdulrazak Saad Namdas said: “We have fulfilled our constitutional requirement. People who want to make it public can do that ... It’s an optional thing to tell the world.”
Some lawmakers contacted on the issue
declined comment.

Among the lawmakers are 14 former governors namely; Senate President Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Godswill Akpabio, Jonah Jang, Abdullahi Adamu, Theodore Orji, Aliyu Wamakko, Sam Egwu, Danjuma Goje, Adamu Aliero, George Akume, Joshua Dariye, Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Ahmed Sani Yarima.

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