ABUJA, Nigeria — As part of an ongoing drive to boost transparency and combat corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a directive requiring all outgoing officials, both elected and appointed, to declare their assets.
This directive, from the Vice President downwards, echoes the strict adherence to constitutional mandates that the President himself has demonstrated.
President Buhari, after filling and returning his own asset declaration form, voiced his conviction that no one is exempt from this constitutional duty.
He expressed this view after receiving his form from Professor Isah Mohammed, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, in Abuja on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The announcement was made public in a statement by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.
“I signed, collected and acknowledged receiving my form. From here, I will ask my bank manager in Kaduna to show me what has gone in and out of my account. Nobody is excluded from declaring their assets. I expected everyone from the Vice President downwards to follow the system,” Buhari stated.
The President’s commitment to asset declaration – both before and after taking office – has been characterized as an effort to establish best practices, elevate moral standards in public service, foster integrity, and combat corruption.
The move comes amid global calls for greater transparency in political offices, particularly in countries with histories of political corruption.
The implications of the President’s directive will be closely watched by local and international observers as a litmus test for the country’s progress in ensuring accountability in its political establishment.
