Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and former Special Assistant to former President Shehu Shagari has said that because asset declaration is very important for a developing country, all elected officials in Nigeria should publicly declare their assets.
Yakassai who was a guest Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily on Tuesday said “That will give you an indication whether during their tenure they enriched themselves at the expense of the public or not for them to check. So I think declaration of assets is very important for a developing country like ours that we are fighting corruption.
“And also publically declaring asset is a very encouraging development which was started as you could remember, by the late Umaru Yar’Adua. Not only he declared his asset, his vice also declared his assets and he also declared the asset of his wife.
“It should be like this for all elected officers not just the President.
“In the first place it should be because we are aiming at transparency, and accountability. The more they do it the more transparent they are, the more accountable they will be regarded by the public.”
Meanwhile a former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to publish the names of treasury looters who had returned the stolen funds.
Essien in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria said “President Muhammadu Buhari should publish those names that have willingly returned stolen wealth or those who have been forced to return stolen money.
“Let the public know how much has been returned, where it is paid into and its ultilisation.
“We don’t want a situation where money is returned and we don’t know where the money has gone to.”
He advised the President to also focus the anti-corruption crusade on the present too.
He said “Anti-corruption crusade is not suppose to hinge entirely on the past; it should also prevent those who are working with the President presently from getting involved in corrupt activities.”