Many Nigerians have criticised Ola Olukoyode, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, for asking his staff members to declare their assets while remaining silent on public office holders.

The EFCC had released a statement to announce Olukoyode’s charge to its officials at the corporate headquarters of the commission in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Olukoyode, he and Muhammad Hammajoda, the commission’s secretary, had declared their assets. He now expects his subordinates to do the same.

“All of us are going to declare our assets; from level 17 downward. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do the same. Even the commission secretary did. You all may also have done it in the past, but there’s need for all of us to do it again,” Olukoyode told EFCC officials on Tuesday.

“We will declare our assets, and we are going to investigate it. We must live above board by setting the pace with good examples. As anti-corruption fighters, our hands must be clean, so we must declare our assets.

“Some may not like me, but I am going to do the right thing and treat everybody equally irrespective of religion, ethnicity and region.”

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Many citizens do not trust public office holders in Nigeria. These officials are often accused of mismanaging public resources to fund extravagant lifestyles.

“But Tinubu and his ministers did not declare their assets. You can start with Tinubu,” Moises responded on X.

Saint Dikachi, another X user, said, “What about politicians? Starting from President?”

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) last asked Tinubu to collect the asset declaration form days before his May 29 presidential inauguration. Pressure groups have since asked the president to publicly declare his assets.

Umaru Yar’Adua became the first Nigerian president to publicly declare his assets in 2007. Yar’Adua’s total assets were N856,452,892, including Turai, his wife’s assets worth N19 million.

FACTS ABOUT ASSET DECLARATION IN NIGERIA

The asset declaration form is a schedule of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution, and it is mandatory for all public officers whether elected, appointed, recruited, contracted or employed.

These officials must collect and sign the asset declaration form from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) office nearest to their workstation in any of the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory or the bureau headquarters at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.

The CBC states that “Every declarant is required by Law to declare his/her assets/liability including that of his spouse(s) who is not a Public Officer and children under 18 years age, honestly, sincerely and submit same to the bureau within 30 days of the receipt of the forms.”

These assets and liabilities must be owned at the material time of filling the asset declaration form.

“All properties/assets acquired outside Nigeria MUST be stated clearly with the value of the said Assets in the Currency of the Country where the property is situated,” the CBC says.

“After the completion of the form, the declarant must personally go and swear to the declaration before a High Court Judge nearest to his work station before submitting it to the Bureau.

“Every Public Officer is to NOTE that it is the requirement of the Law to declare his/her assets/liabilities on (a) Assumption of office; (b) At the end of his term of Office, (c). At interval of four years for Public Officers on continuous employment of Government whether Federal, State or Local Government: (d) and at such other intervals as the Bureau may determine from time to time.

“When filling the form, you are required to provide detailed information, including but not limited to the number, types, address, value of properties so declared and the date of acquisition as well as income derivable from the properties where appropriate.”

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All declarations made are subject to verification by the CCB.

If a public office holder is convicted of failing to declare their assets, this could prompt removal from office, disqualification from holding any public office or forfeiture of properties acquired in abuse of office or dishonesty to the state.

The asset declaration schedule states that these sanctions “shall be without prejudice to the penalties that may be imposed by any law where the conduct is also a criminal offence”.

“Furthermore, though the law gives right of appeal, sub-section 7 of this section of the Constitution states that the prerogative of mercy shall not apply to any punishment imposed by the code of conduct tribunal,” the schedule states.

The CCB collects asset declarations from public officials but it does not make the content of those declarations public.

Public officials are only mandated to submit their declarations to the CCB; the law does not compel them to disclose it to the public.