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The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)
is presently overwhelmed with petitions from members of the public
alleging false declarations of assets against some federal and state
public office holders, NEXT has learnt.

Despite the fact that Nigeria’s
law does not permit the public declaration and revelation of assets of
public servants, a deluge of petitions from citizens who know what some
public servants secretly declared as assets are being forwarded to the
CCB on daily basis, revealing hidden facts and figures.

Efforts made to find out how many
of such petitions have been received were unfruitful, as the Bureau
refused to give out the details.

Also, the names and positions of
public office holders accused of false declarations of assets could not
be confirmed, no thanks to the unwillingness by CCB officials to speak,
against the provision of the CCB Act.

But sources at the bureau claimed
that petitions on false declarations of assets were increasing daily
and that only its management have access to the petitions.

Verify false declarations

However, Sam Saba, the Chairman of
the Code of Conduct Bureau, last week at a two-day public enlightenment
programme in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, organised for state and local
government officials by the Bureau and the Rivers State government,
gave an indication of the situation confronting the anti-corruption
agency.

The programme had the theme,
“Ethics, Code of Conduct and the Pride of the Public Officers”. Mr Saba
said that plans were underway to constitute a 25-man team of the Bureau
officers across the country to investigate petitions received relating
to asset declarations.

He added that the committee will
move from state to state, collating petitions, and investigating them
with a view to ascertaining the truth or falsity in the declarations.

He reminded public servants that
were either elected or appointed recently and others, that keeping
foreign accounts after taking public office is tantamount to a breach
of the code of conduct for public officers.

Murtala Adebayo Sanni, the
Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, advocated a strong political
will and legislative reforms to ensure the prosecution of corrupt
public officials, serving or out of office. Mr Sanni also highlighted
the punishments the tribunal is empowered to impose on a public officer
found guilty of contravening the Code of Conduct for public officers.
They include: the payment of fines, vacation of office, and
disqualification from holding public office for a period up to 10
years. The tribunal currently lacks the power to imprison anybody
convicted of contravening the code.

“Corruption,” according to Mr.
Sanni, has become “so pervasive, entrenched and destructive that
special measures have to be taken to rid Nigeria of corruption and
corrupt practices” while the “penalties the tribunal is empowered to
impose should include powers to imprison those that have been found to
have contravened the code.”

The bureau’s travails

The CCB has been branded a lame
duck by most citizens for its inability to deal with corruption
regarding outright refusal of public officers to declare assets,
over-exaggerated declaration of assets, the duplication of
anti-corruption activities under the purview of the EFCC and ICPC, low
turnout of convictions and the aiding of corrupt public officers
through hoarding of information supposedly within the public domain.

In May, the agency said that it has received the asset forms of the
president, Goodluck Jonathan and vice president, Namadi Sambo. It is
commonly believed that other public office holders of the
administration have since complied with the provisions of the CCB Act
and Handbook for public officers.