The Code of Conduct Bureau says it has investigated and verified the assets declared by more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of measures to promote accountability among public officials.
The CCB Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ workshop on anti-corruption and asset tracing.
The event was organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in partnership with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.
Bello explained that the bureau was no longer limited to collecting asset declaration forms, but now scrutinises the information provided, investigates suspected violations and takes legal action where necessary.
“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.
He said the verification exercise had so far covered several senior government officials and other prominent public officers.
“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” Bello stated.
According to him, the bureau conducts face-to-face reviews with public officers and compares their financial position at different stages of their tenure.
He explained that declarations made when an official assumes office are verified, while another verification is conducted at the end of the tenure.
“One of the key things that we do is that, once you declare your assets at the beginning of your term, we verify it, then we’ll wait for you at the end of your term, we’ll also verify it,” he said.
Bello added that unexplained changes in an official’s assets could trigger further investigation.
“If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” he said.
The CCB chairman, however, noted that officials do not have to complete their tenure before the bureau can investigate them.
“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the workshop was designed to improve cooperation between anti-corruption institutions, civil society groups and other stakeholders.
Sulaimon described the meeting as “conceptualised not merely as a platform for speeches, but as a technical working session” aimed at improving institutional responses to corruption.
He identified stronger information sharing between agencies and civil society as one of the key areas requiring attention.
The HEDA executive secretary also advocated greater use of existing legal frameworks, including the Proceeds of Crime Act and mechanisms available to the CCB, to identify, trace and recover illicit assets.
On whistleblower protection, Sulaimon called for stronger safeguards for people who provide information about corruption and other criminal activities.
