The Code of Conduct Bureau has disclosed that it has investigated and verified the assets declared by more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.
The Chairman of the CCB, Abdullahi Bello, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja at an anti-corruption and asset-tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.
Bello said the bureau had moved beyond simply receiving asset declaration forms, noting that it now examines declarations, investigates suspected infractions and prosecutes offenders where necessary.
“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.
According to the CCB chairman, the bureau has concentrated its verification exercise on high-profile public officials.
He disclosed that the agency had interviewed and verified the relatives of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries and officials of 32 health agencies, among other public officers.
“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” Bello said.
He explained that public officers are invited to the bureau for face-to-face examination of their asset declaration records.
Bello said the CCB conducts verification at the beginning and end of an official’s tenure to identify unexplained changes in assets.
“One of the key things that we do is that, once you declare your assets at the beginning of your term, we verify it, then we’ll wait for you at the end of your term, we’ll also verify it,” he said.
He added that where significant differences are discovered between an official’s assets at the beginning and end of tenure and cannot be explained by legitimate income, the bureau would investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute.
CCB can investigate officials before leaving office
Bello stressed that the CCB does not have to wait until an official completes their tenure before commencing an investigation.
He said allegations or intelligence received against a serving public officer could trigger an investigation at any point.
“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate,” he said.
HEDA seeks stronger anti-corruption collaboration
Speaking at the workshop, HEDA Executive Secretary, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the meeting was designed to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, improve intelligence sharing and enhance the role of civil society in the fight against corruption.
Sulaimon described the workshop as a technical working session rather than merely a platform for speeches.
He said it was designed to advance three core institutional objectives, beginning with the need to bridge inter-agency gaps and promote stronger collaboration between government institutions and civil society organisations.
He stressed the importance of effective information sharing in improving Nigeria’s efforts to trace assets and combat corruption.
