ICPC Tasks CCB on Publiucation of Assets by Public Servants to Check Corruption
NIGERIA'S COAT OF ARMS
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday charged the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to publish the assets declared by public and civil serants as a way of checking corruption in the country.
In a press statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye made the request for publication of the assets during a meeting with chairman and board members of CCB.
The ICPC Chairman also called on the CCB to equally start digital declaration of assets instead of the current manual method.
Owasanoye argued that the secrecy in assets declaration was aiding instead of checking corruption.
He said, “Publicising asset declaration will assist the whistle-blowing policy and our work. We have not been able to take full advantage of asset declaration because of the opacity around it. If somebody lied about his or her assets, he or she can be found out by just the opening of the page where it has been published.
“I want to encourage the Bureau to push for that because the public will help us to do our work. They will tell us who owns what assets and whether it is proportionate to their earnings”.
“If you digitise asset declaration, it will help you to reach everybody under your cover. It is easily analytical and help you to know what asset the public servant owes. It will enable you to inform the government about the status of public servants, whether they are doing badly or not.”
The CCB Chairman, Professor Mohammed Isah, had requested for synergy between the two organisation in the fight against corruption.
“In the areas of overlapping function, who starts investigation of a petition first should be allowed to conclude. The others should stop investigating the same matter to avoid wastage of resources. There is no need to over engage ourselves by doing the same thing.”
In a press statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, the Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye made the request for publication of the assets during a meeting with chairman and board members of CCB.
The ICPC Chairman also called on the CCB to equally start digital declaration of assets instead of the current manual method.
Owasanoye argued that the secrecy in assets declaration was aiding instead of checking corruption.
He said, “Publicising asset declaration will assist the whistle-blowing policy and our work. We have not been able to take full advantage of asset declaration because of the opacity around it. If somebody lied about his or her assets, he or she can be found out by just the opening of the page where it has been published.
“I want to encourage the Bureau to push for that because the public will help us to do our work. They will tell us who owns what assets and whether it is proportionate to their earnings”.
“If you digitise asset declaration, it will help you to reach everybody under your cover. It is easily analytical and help you to know what asset the public servant owes. It will enable you to inform the government about the status of public servants, whether they are doing badly or not.”
The CCB Chairman, Professor Mohammed Isah, had requested for synergy between the two organisation in the fight against corruption.
“In the areas of overlapping function, who starts investigation of a petition first should be allowed to conclude. The others should stop investigating the same matter to avoid wastage of resources. There is no need to over engage ourselves by doing the same thing.”
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