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Buhari and Osiganjo (L) |
The leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has received with deep concern and mixed
feelings the belated public disclosure of the assets of the duo of President
Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo. The only good aspect of the public disclosure
is success recorded by Nigerians by forcing the said assets to be made public
against the will of their owners and the Presidency. This is in line with the
fact that “public might shall always triumph over private might and interests”.
The long delays in making the assets public are totally condemned. The duo of
Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osibanjo owe Nigerians unreserved apologies.
Beyond the grossly belated public disclosure of the said
assets, there are missing points inherent in them. That “the assets declared
are still undergoing CCB vetting”, almost 100 days after they were statutorily
declared and submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is not only
condemnable, but also suspicious. Another fundamental missing point is the
failure of the Presidency that caused them to be belatedly made public, to
publicly disclose what Prof Yemi Osibanjo declared in his assets declaration
form before he was sworn in as the Attorney General and Commissioner for
Justice in Lagos State during the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu
(1999-2007). This is to easily compare them with those his present one,
declared prior to his vice presidency on 29th May 2015. In the area of “holding
shares” held by both particularly Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, their monetary
values were not disclosed. It is possible for one to hold “shares” amounting to
N10 Billion in one or two companies not to talk of six companies (Octogenerian
Ltd, Windsor Grant Ltd, Tarapolsa Ltd, Visterion Ltd, Aviva Ltd and MTN
Nigeria) in Prof Osibanjo’s name.
Again, Nigerians deserve to know who owns substantially or
partly some, if not most of the companies (excluding MTN) mentioned in the Vice
President’s shareholdings. The Presidency has a public and moral obligation to
inform Nigerians of this. It is also fundamentally necessary for the country’s
secret police to carry out detailed investigation into the huge cash of over
N280 Million contained in Prof Yemi Osibanjo’s local and domiciliary accounts
including N94Million in naira account and $900,000 (over N180Million) and
19,000 British Pounds (about N4.5Million) in domiciliary accounts.
While the houses mentioned in the Vice President’s name as
well as his disclosed cars are circumstantially and socially convincing and
befitting to him as “a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria”, the
huge cash sums and liquid investments (shares) publicly mentioned in his name
need to be forensically investigated. Statutorily and conventionally speaking,
being a public office holder in Nigeria and across the globe does not in any
way translate to “super richness” or a flamboyance lifestyle. It is strictly a
call to serve and its remuneration packages are not “companies’ profits” or for
keep, but for personal and public office comforts while in office. From what was published in Pastor (Prof)
Osibanjo’s assets declaration forms, he is a mere private legal practitioner
and not a business mogul.
Now, are those huge cash sums found in his name from his
clientele? Or are they accrued from his dividends as a share holder in six
mentioned companies? How much cash does all his companies’ shares worth? How
many lawyers of his standing in Nigeria could amass such huge cash amounting to
over N280Million? On the part of Retired Gen Muhammadu Buhari, the assets
published in his name particularly houses and cars are socially and
circumstantially convincing and befitting of a former military head of State.
The only area that requires further clarifications and investigation is his
undisclosed shares in Berger Paints, Skye and Union Banks. There is need for
the Presidency to inform Nigerians how much cash Buhari’s shares in the three
banks worth and when they were procured. Further official and independent
investigations are also required to ensure that Retired Gen Buhari exhausted
publicly (as published) all his assets in his recent assets declaration.
In all, Intersociety is substantially satisfied with
President Buhari’s assets declaration, with the exception of undisclosed worth
of his shares. Conversely, our substantial satisfaction over his published
assets other than undisclosed shares of his in Berger Paints, Skye and Union
Banks will be revoked once it is found civilly or criminally that Retired Gen
Buhari has more moveable and immoveable assets than those he declared and
published. As for those of Professor Yemi Osibanjo, they woefully failed our
social and circumstantial conviction litmus test. The Presidency is inexcusably
changed to convince Nigerians and members of the international community that
the Vice President’s published assets are socially and truly those befitting “a
professor of law” practicing in Nigeria.
Finally, we still make bold to say that the belated
publication of the referenced assets, which question marks we have clearly
pointed out; is far not enough to convince Nigerians and members of the
international community that the present Buhari administration is morally
grounded to liberate the country from the shackles and manacles of corruption
and other graft practices.
Judging from what President Buhari has commendably (fairly)
declared and belatedly made public as his total assets, our informed questions
are: Does Buhari not share same political leadership status and former public
offices with the likes of Olusegun
Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ibrahim Babangida and Atiku Abubakar? What
about their juniors like Retired Gen Theo Danjumma, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Adams
Oshiomonole And Nasiru el-Rufai(still
serving), etc? Are these former top public office holders on the same or
similar pace and page with Retired Gen Muhammadu Buhari in terms of their
present lifestyles, assets and investments in Nigeria and beyond its borders?
Some universities, companies’ shares, privet jets, farms and other industrial
and liquid investments worth billions of naira, if not billions of dollars, are
socially and circumstantially traced in their names. How did they procure them
as former career public servants, company staffers and public office
holders? We dare insist that those that
wish to go to equity must go with clean hands!
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi (B.Sc., Criminology & Security
Studies)
Board Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties
& the Rule of Law
+2348174090052 (office)
Uzochukwu, Oguejiofor-Nwonu, Esq., LLB, BL, Head, Campaign
& Publicity Department
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