CCB ignored request about Tinubu, Shettima’s property

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Code of Conduct Bureau declined to provide information about the assets that President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have legally disclosed.

sought the specifics of the assets that the President and Vice President had disclosed in a letter dated June 22, 2023. Under the guidelines of the 2011 Freedom of Information Act, the request was made.

The letter to the CCB Chairman, Isa Muhammed, was headlined “FOI request for details of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s assets.”

“We write in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, 2011,” it stated. We thus want information regarding the assets included on the asset disclosure forms that Vice President Kashim Shettima and President Bola Tinubu submitted to the CCB.

“As they are of public interest, the specifics of the assets must be published. The information may be provided in physical copy or digital version. In accordance with the FoI Act’s provisions, we anticipate that you will grant our request within seven days of receiving this letter. I’m grateful.

Despite the fact that the request was received and acknowledged on June 26, 2023, with a stamp from the CCB Chairman’s Office, the bureau refused to abide by the FoI Act’s requirements that such information must be made public within seven days.

The CCB declined to give the information 48 days after the request. A CCB communications staffer named Veronica Kato was called to follow up on the request, but she didn’t return calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages from our correspondent.

Deji Ajare, a human rights attorney, claimed that the CCB’s reluctance to comply with the FOI request was a blatant legal infraction.

The CCB’s rejection or inability to provide the specifics of the President and Vice President’s assets declaration, despite repeated demands made in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, is very troubling, according to Ajare.

“Our democratic culture is supported in large part by the Freedom of Information Act, which was passed in 2011 and ensures openness, responsibility, and access to information of public interest. It was created to give people the ability to access public information and data maintained by public servants, including their asset disclosure. The FoI Act applies to public records, including the assets that public officers have disclosed, including those of the President and Vice President.

“The CCB’s rejection or inability to disclose the specifics of the President and Vice President’s assets declaration is a blatant violation of the principles entrenched in the Freedom of Information Act. This conduct undermines democracy and good governance by undermining the transparency necessary to hold public authorities accountable. It can erode public confidence in the presidency’s integrity and increase allegations of malfeasance or corruption.

He requested action from the CCB.

“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,” added Ajare.

Festus Ogun, another public interest attorney, expressed regret that the court had not taken more action to make the FoI Act more effective.

“Painfully, Nigerian courts have taken the position that no explicit law has yet been enacted by the National Assembly with respect to granting public access to the declared assets,” he added in reference to how they have interpreted the asset declaration clause of the law.

The inference is that, notwithstanding the Freedom of Information Act of 2011, elected officials, including the CCB, are not required by law to divulge the information on the forms. The legislation is currently in a terrible position.

But because laws are made for people, 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 transparency and accountability. if desires were animals.