The
Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has blamed its inability to publicly disclose the
assets declared by President Goodluck Jonathan and other public officers on
constitutional constraints. Chairman
of the bureau, Mr. Sam Saba, said this Tuesday in Abuja during the 2012
ministerial press briefing organised by the commission.
He
stated that Section 3(f) the constitution was against the letters of the
Freedom of Information Act, upon which the assets declaration are required to
be made public.
Saba
insisted that the bureau would not compromise the letters and spirit of the
constitution by revealing the personal assets declared by the president and
other public office holders, except and until a pronouncement is made by the
National Assembly to that effect, or the section in the constitution is
repealed.
“The
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is superior to the FoI Act, and
until the National Assembly says otherwise, CCB would not make public the
assets declaration forms of office holders,” he said.
Saba
also said that a total number of 134,717 defaulters of assets declaration were
identified throughout the federation in 2012, following the review of assets
that had been declared by public office holders.
According
to him, during the year under review, assets declared by state governors,
deputy governors, ministers, commissioners, and other top government
functionaries, including local government chairmen and councillors, were
verified through a conference field verification.
“A
total number of 230 eligible declarants were identified, and issued with assets
declaration forms for completion, while a total of 83,653 acknowledgment slips
were issued throughout the federation and a total of 134,717 defaulters were
identified,” he stated.
Source:
Thisday
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