The Code of Conduct Bureau says it has completed the verification of asset declarations submitted by 108 high-risk public officials as part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public service.
The Chairman of the CCB, Dr Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this in Abuja during the graduation ceremony of the second cohort of Agora Policy’s Policy Writing Fellowship and the unveiling of the Local Governance Accountability Portal and the Policy Registry.
According to Bello, those whose asset declarations were verified include 19 ministers, 37 permanent secretaries, 20 heads of government agencies and 32 other senior public officials.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen integrity and accountability in public service, the Code of Conduct Bureau has completed verification of asset declarations for high-risk public servants. This exercise covered 19 ministers, 37 permanent secretaries, 20 heads of agencies and 32 other high-risk officials,” he said.
Bello also announced that the Bureau had completed the development of its Online Asset and Liabilities Declaration System, which is now ready for deployment and testing.
“I am pleased to announce that our Online Asset and Liabilities Declaration System is now 100 per cent developed and ready for deployment and testing. This platform will hold the asset declaration database of all public servants in Nigeria,” he stated.
He noted that the Bureau remains open to partnerships that enhance public access to governance information while safeguarding the privacy and security of public officials.
The CCB chairman further revealed that the Bureau had stepped up enforcement by recovering assets and prosecuting public officials alleged to have breached the Code of Conduct.
“As part of our enforcement drive, the Bureau has secured the forfeiture of several assets, including a property in London. We have referred numerous cases to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, and just yesterday we arraigned the Chief of Staff to a State Governor before the Tribunal. These actions demonstrate our firm resolve to hold public officers accountable regardless of their position or status,” Bello added.
Speaking on the newly launched Local Governance Accountability Portal, Bello described it as a major step toward improving transparency at the grassroots.
“The portal provides free access to financial allocations to local councils from 1999 to date, alongside council profiles and the names of elected officials. It is a powerful instrument for promoting transparency and accountability at the grassroots level,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, represented by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, said poor policymaking and weak implementation had continued to hinder Nigeria’s development.
Olukoyede commended Agora Policy for introducing the Local Governance Accountability Portal, describing it as a “game-changer” that would improve transparency in local government administration.
“For decades, local government finances have remained largely hidden from public scrutiny. Where records are inaccessible and citizens cannot question how public funds are spent, accountability suffers. The new portal is set to change that,” he said.
Founder and Executive Director of Agora Policy, Waziri Adio, said the portal was created to bridge the accountability gap in local government administration despite the increase in financial allocations to councils.
He noted that some local governments now receive hundreds of millions of naira monthly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), yet many communities have seen little improvement in governance and service delivery.
“Our local governments are almost a black hole. Where government should be closest to the people and most impactful is where it is often least visible,” Adio said.
In her keynote address, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Usman, urged Nigerians to actively use the data available on the new platforms.
“Transparency is only the beginning. Data must be used. Citizens must engage it, journalists must interrogate it, researchers must analyse it, civil society must translate it into advocacy, and public officials must use it as an opportunity to improve performance and rebuild public trust,” she said.
