Like Yar’Adua, SERAP urges Buhari, Osinbajo to Publish Assets

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to publish his assets declaration form before leaving office on May 29.

SERAP also urged him to encourage Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and high-ranking officials of the incoming administration to also promptly publish their assets to date.

In an open letter on Sunday signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare,  SERAP urged Buhari to emulate the good example of the late former  President Umaru Yar’Adua, who consistently published his asset declaration forms as president and governor of Katsina State.

“He (Yar’Adua) also planned legislative reform to make it mandatory for all public officers to declare their assets publicly. He believed that publishing his assets would put pressure on other public officers to do so.

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“Publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging other public officials and the officials of the next administration to do so would also send a powerful message of your commitment to uphold the country’s constitutional guarantees and international obligations.

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“It would also show that you are ready to do what is needed to leave a legacy of transparency and accountability,” SERAP said.

It added that by publishing their assets, Nigerians would be able to scrutinise them, thus engendering transparency.

“Because asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights. There is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who clearly are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources,” SERAP noted.