By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari says his strict adherence to the constitutional requirement of assets declaration before and after taking office is aimed at strengthening best practices and raising moral standards in Public Service.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said this action would also help to build integrity and combating corruption.
The president, therefore, directed that all out-going officials, elected and appointed from the Vice President downwards must collect the assets declaration form, fill and return it as he has done.
Speaking upon collecting his form from Prof. Isah Mohammed, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, in Abuja on Friday, Buhari said ”no one is excluded from the Constitutional duty of assets declaration.
“I signed, collected and acknowledged receiving my form. From here, I will ask my bank Manager in Kaduna to show me what has gone in and out of my account.
”Nobody is excluded from declaring their assets. I expected everyone from the Vice President downwards to follow the system.”
Mohammed said compliance by the President in the last eight years and the support he had given to the Bureau had enabled it to achieve 99 per cent compliance by elected and appointed officials.
He also acknowledged the support of the president in the achievement of the digitization of its services and operations thereby helping the organisation to open investigation of cases with greater efficiency.
(NAN)
