Buhari should publish own assets declaration – Afenifere

The constitutional crisis created by the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, over non-declaration of assets has compelled the need to remind President Muhammadu Buhari to make his own assets declaration public, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has said.

It said in a statement signed by its Leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, that the president has a moral burden to make his assets public.

According to it: “Then, General Buhari in 2014 in a document titled, “I pledge to Nigeria” also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

He said, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees to publicity declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment.

“It’s now 4 months to the end of the four-year tenure of Mr. President and this pledge has not been fulfilled. Instead of doing what he pledged, Presidential aides have been giving all manners of untenable excuses in the last three and half years.

“This is a moral burden as it is said that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands and that examples are better than precepts. A leader must not set for others standards that are very difficult for him to meet in the order of “do as I say and not as I do.

“The jeopardy of President Buhari anti-corruption war has really been one set of rules for the goose and another set for the gander. Afenifere therefore asks the president to immediately make his assets declaration form public so Nigerians can hold him as a man of his words.

“Such a power of example sets greater tone for good conduct in society than a thousand arbitrariness in the name of fighting corruption. The true meaning of leadership is being able to lead by higher standards.”

New Telegraph