President Muhammadu Buhari has, in compliance with the constitution, submitted his assets declaration forms to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) which by law must precede his oath-taking slated for today, Wednesday. The President also urged the CCB to preserve his assets declaration form in safe custody, saying many people who have been on the receiving end of his anti-graft war will be tempted to get back at him after his second term in office in 2023.
The duly completed forms, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, were submitted to CCB Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Isa, on behalf of the president by Sarki Abba, Senior Special Assistant, Household and Domestic Affairs.
The forms, as signed by the President and sworn to before a Judge of the Abuja High Court, showed no significant changes in assets as declared in 2015 by him.
“There are no new houses, no new bank accounts at home and abroad and there are no new shares acquired. The Chairman of the CCB commended the President for leading by example by declaring his assets in accordance with the law,” the statement noted.
Earlier, while he and Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo were presented their asset declaration forms by officials of the CCB at the Presidential Villa, Buhari taunted the CCB officials, admonishing them to safeguard his forms for posterity. The President said: “I am very pleased that you are here, I assure you I will quickly fill this form and dispatch it back to you so that at the end of 2023, I believe there are a lot of people that will like to get back at me.
“So, please, make sure you keep it safely because there are people who believed they shouldn’t be questioned and they are being questioned and some of them are already in trouble. I expect them to fight back and this is one of the instruments. So, I hope you will keep it when I finish. Thank you very much indeed.”
Commending the CCB members for accepting to serve, Buhari said: “I am very pleased, I think I am meeting you for the first time since your appointment. I have never met you before. I thank you for accepting to be in this very important institution and I thank you very much for serving me my forms, which I must fill constitutionally before my second term of office.
“I think we cannot over-emphasize the importance of your office because Nigerians are notorious for cutting short and not giving account of their public responsibilities and we are trying to impress it on our nation and the world that this administration is based on accountability.
“It is only institutions like yours that will bail us out from the efforts that we have been making to make sure that people in public offices do not abuse that public office and that those who come in and those that are leaving in certain positions make sure that they hold the integrity of the office and of the country generally in high esteem.”
