Human rights group asks Buhari to declare assets before exit

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate transparency, and leadership by publicly declaring his assets before the end of his tenure.

According to the group, this will encourage members of his administration to do the same. SERAP made the call in a statement yesterday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

 

The group further asked the President to “direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to take immediate steps to expeditiously, diligently, effectively and fairly prosecute all outstanding high-profilecorruptioncases currently being handled by his office.”

Buhari stated in his Independence Day address that: “Ihavepromisedtobequeath a country where all citizens have equal opportunities to achieve their lives. We have made significant progress in the eradication of deeply entrenched corruption that permeates all facets of our national development.”

But SERAP said in an open letter to him: “Contrary toyourIndependenceDayaddress, grand corruption has continued to deny millions of Nigerians equal opportunities. “Promoting transparency and combating corruption and ensuring full and effectiverespect forthe ruleof law would send a strong signal of your commitment to leave behind a legacy of transparency and accountability.

“Millions of people are falling into preventable poverty, and live in a continuing state of anxiety and insecurity.” The letter read in part: “Promoting transparency, combating corruption and obeying the rule of law is vital if your administration is not to leave behind a legacy of impunity and an assault against the rule of law.

“We hope that the next few months will show your administration’s commitment to consistently uphold transparency and accountability, to create a rule of lawfriendly environment that would make Nigerians safer.

“Thereremainlong-standing and grave concerns regarding widespread cases of grand corruption involving high-ranking governmentofficials, systemiccorruptionin ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and persistent attacks on the rule of law.

“The reality today is that there is massive corruption at the highest level of government and in ministries, departments and agencies, with a corrosive impact on Nigerians “The indicators of bad governanceandmismanagementof thecountry’snatural wealth and resources should serve as proof of the need for your governmenttoreinforce and recommit to the fight against corruption.

 

“Public officials still use political power to enrich themselveswithoutconsideringthepublicgood. Inseveral states of the federation and federal ministries, corruption is taking place every day and every hour. “Corruption continues to directly affect the lives and well-being of millions of Nigerians across the country, and to erode public trust in public institutions and leaders, threatening the foundation of our democracy.

“The best measure of a country’s progress toward transparency and accountability is total obedience to the rule of law. “The law ought to command the highest levels of respect by, for example, the government immediately obeying orders and judgments of competent courts.

No country in which official positions and orders claim a place in people’s minds higher than the law can truly be said to fight corruption.”