Why We’ll Not Make Buhari’s Assets Public — CCB

The Code of Conduct Bureau says it will not make public the details of
assets declared by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo due to limitations in federal laws covering such release, the
office has said.

The presidency said those details will be made available after the
Code of Conduct Bureau authenticates claims in the declaration forms.

There has been controversy following the inability of President Buhari
and his Deputy Osinbajo to release details of their assets since their
inauguration May 29, despite the promise to do so.

PHOTO: OFFICIAL PORTRAITS OF BUHARI, OSINBAJO

Buhari pledged to publicly declare his assets despite the lack of a
law requiring him to do so as the 1999 Constitution stated that office
holders declare their assets, without requiring them to do so
publicly.

A civil society group, Stop Impunity Nigeria, an affiliate of the
Centre for Social Justice, had on June 1, 2015 applied to the CCB to
request copies of the completed assets declaration forms by the
President and his deputy.

The application, signed by the Lead Director of the Centre, Eze
Onyekpere, was pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act, FOIA, 2011.

But, in its response CCB/HQ/670/G/1/104 dated June 10, 2015 and signed
by Ijeanuli Ofor on behalf of the Chairman, the CCB declined the
request, citing the absence of prescribed law by the National Assembly
authorizing the release of such information to the public.

The Bureau however, conceded the right by Nigerians under section 1(1)
3 and 4 of the FOIA 2011, to "access or request information, whether
written or not in written form, in the custody of any public agency".

According to the Bureau, regardless of this, ''sections 12(1) (a) (v),
14(1) (b) and 15(1)9a) of the same Act empowered it to decline any
request, which it considered an invasion of personal privacy.

"Assets declarations by public officers contain such personal
information, which falls within the exemptions to the disclosure of
information in the FOIA," the Bureau added, explaining further that,
paragraph 3(c of the Third Schedule, Part 1 of the constitution (as
amended) empowered it to "make assets declarations of public officers
available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria only on terms and
conditions prescribed by the National Assembly.

"However, the terms and conditions under which that can be done have
not yet been prescribed by the National Assembly."

—Vanguard