The Code of Conduct Bureau has refused to provide information on the assets that President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have legally disclosed in accordance with a Freedom of Information Act request.
In a letter dated June 22, 2023, it was asked for specifics on the assets that the President and Vice President had declared. The Freedom of Information Act of 2011 was used to make the request.
The letter was addressed to Isa Muhammad, the chairman of the CCB, and was headed “FOI request for details of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assets.”
According to the 2011 Freedom of Information Act, we write.” We thus want information regarding the assets of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as stated in the documents they submitted to the CCB disclosing their holdings.
“The assets’ specifics must be published since they are of public interest. A paper copy or digital copy of the information may be provided. We anticipate that our request will be granted within seven days of your receipt of this letter, in accordance with the FoI Act’s provisions. Many thanks.
The bureau declined to comply with the requirements of the FoI Act, which stipulates that such material must be made public within seven days, even though the request was received and accepted with a stamp from the CCB Chairman’s Office on June 26, 2023.
The CCB still wouldn’t give the information 48 days after receiving the request. A CCB communications staffer named Veronica Kato was called to follow up on the request but did not answer our correspondent’s calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages.
Deji Ajare, a human rights attorney, argued that it was obviously illegal for the CCB to reject the FOI request.
The President’s and Vice President’s assets declaration data not being made public by the CCB despite numerous demands made under the Freedom of Information Act, according to Ajare, is extremely troubling.
Insuring transparency, accountability, and access to information of public interest, the Freedom of Information Act, passed in 2011, stands as a critical foundation of our democratic society. It was created to give people the freedom to access public documents and data held by public servants, including the disclosure of their financial situation. The FoI Act is applicable to publicly disclosed information, such as the declared assets of public officials, such as the President and Vice President.
The Freedom of Information Act’s guiding principles are clearly broken by the CCB’s rejection or unwillingness to provide the specifics of the President and Vice President’s assets declaration. This move violates the core principles of democratic and good governance and prevents the transparency needed to hold public authorities responsible. It could increase accusations of corruption or misconduct and damage citizens’ confidence in the presidency’s integrity.
He urged the CCB to take the appropriate action.
“The release of the assets declaration details will not only fulfil its legal obligations but also demonstrate its commitment to combating corruption and fostering integrity within the highest echelons of government,” Ajare continued.
Festus Ogun, a different public interest lawyer, said it was regrettable that the court had not taken more action to make the FoI Act more effective.
He stated, “Painfully, the approach of Nigerian courts in interpreting the asset declaration legislation provision has been that no law is yet to be specifically adopted by the National Assembly in terms of allowing public access to the declared assets.
Despite the Freedom of Information Act of 2011, it is implied that elected authorities, including the CCB, are not required by law to divulge the information on the forms. This is the law’s painful position.
However, since laws were created for people and not the other way around, I believe that the President and his Vice should disclose their holdings in good faith and for the sake of accountability and openness. If only hopes were horses.
