The public declaration of assets by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on July 15, caused a huge uproar in the media as he was the only the second public official ever, after late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who did the same on June 2007, to reveal explicit details of his assets to the public. The governor revealed his cash in naira and foreign exchange in his companies as well as properties in Nigeria, South Africa and the United States.
In light of this, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) released a statement, urging the other 35 state governors to “emulate the shining example of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who recently openly declared his assets, by publishing without further delay the full details of their asset declarations submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).” It is clear that Governor Makinde has set an example that many will continue to reference and hold as standard.
An Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) research paper once argued that; “A well-defined asset declaration system is a strong tool to fight public sector corruption and abuse of power. Published information on a person’s assets allows civil society to hold leaders to account.”
A dramatic turn of events also took place over the weekend as ministerial nominees who are being screened at the Senate are now rushing to submit their asset declaration certificates or risk disqualification. This was after a senator raised a point of order that it is unconstitutional to confirm ministers without them showing evidence that their assets have been declared to the CCB. If this point of order had not been raised, it is very likely that the matter of declaring the assets of these ministerial nominees would have been glossed over.
Since Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen’s controversial exit from the bench in April over alleged charges of false asset declaration, one would think that public officials would have learnt a lesson and took their asset declaration even more seriously. However, in a country where the system is exploited via opportunistic and strategically placed loopholes, Makinde’s transparency places him in good light not only with the CCB, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) but also with the public who he is accountable to.
For people like Governor Makinde whose assets are already in the public domain, it will be very hard for any anti-graft agency to bring up spurious figures disputing the position of their wealth to witch-hunt them when they leave office. No one will dare accuse such persons to have enriched themselves from the spoils of office when the figures are easily verifiable.
But why some question how Governor Makinde acquired assets worth over N50 billion, others positively interpret his asset declaration as a new bar set for transparency of public officials while still in service of the people. And for this, his legacy is assured, as both individuals and organizations will continually make reference to this gesture as a yardstick for politicians and other public servants for years to come.
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Featured image source: Rave Style