SERAP urges Tinubu to publish assets as 1st year anniversary beckons
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to “use the anniversary of your first year in office as an opportunity to demonstrate your oft-expressed commitment to democracy, accountability, and openness in government by immediately publishing your asset declaration form.”
In an open letter dated May 25, 2024, and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation encouraged Vice-President Kashim Shettima, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their asset declaration forms.
According to SERAP, “widely publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging your Vice-President, ministers, and state governors to also widely publish their assets would serve legitimate public interests.” The rights group believes that “publishing your asset declaration form and encouraging others to do so would also promote public trust and establish a system of transparency, accountability, and public participation.” SERAP emphasized that “openness and transparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would strengthen the country’s democracy and promote accountability at all levels of government.”
In the letter, SERAP reminded President Tinubu of his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, where he promised “to take proactive steps to discourage corruption” and ensure that “Nigeria is impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.”
The organisation urged him to use his first anniversary in office as an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to democratic governance, openness, and public accountability by immediately implementing the proposed recommendations.
SERAP stressed that “transparency in the details of asset declaration forms would enable Nigerians to scrutinize the forms and verify the financial situation of public officials and alert about possible conflicts of interest and corruption.” The organization believes that “asset declaration forms are a matter of public interest, and your government ought to provide the leadership and encourage other high-ranking public officials to harness new technologies to publish the details of their asset declaration forms online and make the forms readily available to the public.”
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The rights group argued that “corruption is one of the greatest challenges to improving the country’s democracy and rebuilding a transparent, accountable, and participatory system of governance.” SERAP emphasized that “transparency and openness would increase public confidence in the integrity of high-ranking public officials and government generally and ensure that political authorities are honest when they provide services to people.”
SERAP’s requests are brought in the public interest and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and Nigeria’s international anticorruption and human rights obligations. The organization believes that “information regarding the property and economic interests of public officials ought to be accessible to the public through a website created for this purpose.”
The letter emphasized that “transparency in the details of asset declaration forms of high-level public officials would promote citizens’ participation in the fight against corruption, which in turn would increase the transparency of public administration and citizens’ trust in the integrity of state institutions.”
SERAP stressed that “those who voluntarily seek or occupy public offices and are catered for by the public have certain fiduciary duties to be open, transparent, and accountable to the people regarding the details of their asset declaration forms.”
The organisation argued that “because asset declaration forms are public documents, public officials cannot claim that publishing their assets would violate their privacy rights.” SERAP believes that “there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officers who clearly are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources.”
In conclusion, SERAP urged President Tinubu to publish his asset declaration form and encourage his Vice-President, ministers, and state governors to do the same, sending a powerful message of his commitment to uphold the country’s constitutional guarantees and international obligations.
The organisation hopes that the aspects highlighted will help guide the President’s steps in taking concrete steps to implement the proposed recommendations.
