Asset Declaration Compulsory For Public Officials – CCB

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has issued a warning to civil servants and other public officials regarding the necessity of asset declaration as mandated by national laws, emphasising that failure to comply will result in repercussions.

Naijaonpoint understands that the CCB Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Usman Bello, delivered this warning on Tuesday in Abuja during a working visit to the corporate headquarters of the Media Trust Group (MTG).

Bello further clarified that there is no conflict between the operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) concerning the functions and responsibilities of the CCB.

“True, and while we have the opportunity of sourcing information through state-level volunteers, there are certain things our organisation must do itself. We don’t have the capacity to cover every corner of the civil and public service. Saying otherwise would be dishonest. What we’ve done instead is adopt a risk-based approach for verification and investigations.

“For instance, if we identify 1,000 high-risk public servants, and recover N1 billion from each, that’s N1 trillion recovered. So now our target is to focus on 10,000 high-risk individuals -those in revenue-generating agencies and top public offices,” Bello said.

In response to inquiries regarding managing varying risk levels, the head of the CCB stated that the organisation employs three strategies: high-risk individuals are subject to prosecution and investigation; medium-risk individuals are addressed through investigation; and low-risk personnel are engaged through education and prevention initiatives.

“So, for low-level workers, we focus on sensitisation: Declare your assets. Don’t engage in wrongdoing. CCB is, first and foremost, a preventive organisation. If you know your assets will be verified upon entry and exit from office -gifts, loans, properties- you’ll think twice before engaging in corruption,” Bello said.

When asked if the CCB were not overlapping with that of the EFCC or ICPC, including on jurisdictional conflicts, Bello noted that there were no conflicts whatsoever, but collaboration.

He said, “There is no conflict. For instance, the EFCC might charge someone for fraud or money laundering, but we look at breaches of the Code of Conduct, such as unlawful enrichment, failure to declare assets properly, or receiving inappropriate gifts.

“Let me give you an example: a public servant once had $9.8 million found in his residence. For the EFCC or ICPC, they must prove it was stolen. For us, we simply ask: where did you get the money? If it was a gift, who gave it and under what terms? If it’s a loan, was it declared appropriately?

“The Code is very clear. The burden of proof lies on the public officer to justify the asset, not on us to prove a crime.”

The CCB boss also said that the organisation’s digital asset declaration platform is ready and would soon be launched nationwide.