Ahead of his 100 days in office,the positive example of Governor Seyi Makinde

Ahead of the first 100 days of the governments that assumed office on May 29, 2019, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state stands out for courage. In complying with the provisions of the constitution and the code of conduct for public officers Makinde, alone in the federation and at all levels, surpassed the requirements by not just declaring his assets and liabilities to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) but also making them public. He thus set a marker for all other office holders in the area of full disclosure.
The law requires that all public office holders must declare their assets within three months of assuming the office. We urge all the others to do so and to make them public. Governor Makinde submitted his asset declaration to the CCB on May 28, ahead of his inauguration the next day. He made the declaration public on July 14. His net worth coupled with the assets of his companies comes to a little over N56billion – his four firms have a corporate valuation of N48billion.
The governor also listed the assets of his wife, Omini Makinde. The 1999 Constitution provides the framework for the code of conduct for public officers in Nigeria. It contains a long list of civil officers covered by the law. They include elected officials at high levels such as the President, Vice President, Governors and their deputies, members of the National Assembly as well as high-ranking civil servants, Justices and more. Makinde is in substantial compliance with the code. That Code further prohibits public officers from owning bank accounts outside of Nigeria.
Full compliance would dictate that now that he is a pubic officer Makinde would close his bank accounts in the US, Europe and South Africa or put them in a blind trust. By declaring the names and assets of his companies, Makinde has also ensured that he would guard against the conflict of interest that is often prevalent in public offices in Nigeria. His ascension as the governor precludes his firms from bidding for or doing any public works in Oyo State. Makinde’s open declaration comes against the backdrop of a suit by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) seeking a court declaration compelling the open statement of assets by public officers.
Such open notification is fundamental and aligns with the principles of openness and accountability in a democracy. The light of full disclosure empowers citizens to verify and keep a tab on elected officials. For too long, public officers in Nigeria have taken the legal route of simple compliance with the provision that requires that they declare their assets and submit to the CCB.
The CCB, which ought to be an institutional pillar of democracy through openness, promptly files the declarations and wraps them as “private and confidential”. It is a considerable gap in our laws that allows the CCB to connive with public officers to keep their assets declaration away from the public. We are not surprised but somewhat disappointed that no other governor or other public officer has mustered the courage to follow the Seyi Makinde example.
In our democratic journey in the Fourth Republic, open assets declaration by public officers is the appropriate route to earn the trust of citizens and their respect. They would more readily comply with and listen to the several sermons of public officials on loyalty, the duty to the state such as tax payment and others.