🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
Professor calls for public asset declaration by governors, legislators, and judges
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Kazeem Olaniyan, a Professor of Jurisprudential Criminology at Fountain University, Osogbo, has advocated for the public declaration of assets by governors, legislators, and judges. Speaking at the university's 8th inaugural lecture, Professor Olaniyan, who is also the Dean of the College of Law, proposed amendments to the Code of Conduct Bureau CCB law. He suggested linking the CCB database with the Land Registry, Bank Verification Number, and Corporate Affairs Commission databases to enable real-time verification of assets. He described the CCB as an under-resourced institution, noting that many asset declarations are still processed manually, hindering cross-referencing. Professor Olaniyan also highlighted selective prosecutions by the Bureau, citing the cases of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Chief Justice of the Federation Walter Onnoghen, arguing that asset declaration laws have been used against political adversaries rather than as a uniform administrative mechanism. He asserted that secret asset declarations foster concealed corruption and called for mandatory public disclosure. He specifically recommended amending the CCB Act to make public declaration the default and granting civil society organizations and the media a statutory right to inspect and publish asset declarations of high-ranking public officials. These recommendations come as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, was invited by the CCB following a Premium Times
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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