CCB VERIFIES ASSETS OF OVER 20 MINISTERS, 30 PERMANENT SECRETARIES
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Bello, has disclosed that the bureau has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.
Bello disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at an anti-corruption and asset-tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.
He said the CCB had moved beyond the mere collection of asset declaration forms to scrutinising declarations, investigating suspected infractions and prosecuting offenders.
“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” Bello said.
The CCB chairman said the bureau had prioritised the verification of assets declared by high-profile 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,” he said.
Bello explained that public officers are invited to the bureau for face-to-face examination of their records as part of the verification process.
He said the CCB conducts an initial verification when an official assumes office and another at the end of the tenure to determine whether there are unexplained changes in the officer’s 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.
“If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” Bello said.
He, however, stressed that the bureau does not have to wait until the end of an official’s tenure before commencing an investigation.
“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.
Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and the role of civil society in the fight against corruption.
Sulaimon described the workshop as a technical working session designed to advance three core institutional objectives rather than merely serve as a platform for speeches.
He said the first objective was to bridge inter-agency silos and foster civic synergy, stressing the importance of effective information sharing between government agencies and civil society organisations.
The HEDA executive secretary also called for greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the statutory mechanisms of the Code of Conduct Bureau in tracing and recovering illicit assets.
On whistleblower protection, Sulaimon said stronger safeguards were needed to encourage individuals to provide information on corruption and other crimes.
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