Code of Conduct Bureau advises public officers to declare assets

THE Code of Conduct Bureau in Gombe State has advised public servants to declares their assets as part of the constitutional requirement.

The Bureau Director in the state, Mr Panyi Baira, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday.

He said “asset declaration is a constitutional requirement that has to be fulfilled by all government workers from the
lowest government employee to the highest office in the country as required by law.

“The law says career civil servants must declare once after each and every four years, but for political office holders, they
must declare their assets when they assume office and when they leave, be it elective or appointed.”

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According to him, some civil servants, public office holders and other elected officers in the state have responded positively
to the provisions of asset declaration not necessary waiting until asked for the nominal role.

The director added that the bureau was constituted to ensure a high level of accountability, transparency and high level
of morality in government business. The director said that failure to fill the assets declaration form is also an offence.

He explained that “failure to declare assets by a public officer can lead to confiscation by Court of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)
and the assets accordingly become government property.”

He also advised against over-declaration or under-declaration, saying it was an offence too.