Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged 35 state governors in Nigeria to “emulate the shining example of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who recently openly declared his assets, by publishing without further delay the full details of their asset declarations submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
SERAP said: “Nigerians ought to know the worth of their state governors. The publication of asset declarations by state governors will improve transparency, accountability and good governance and assure the public that neither fraud nor illicit enrichment is concealed. Knowing the worth of state governors before and after taking offices would also prevent rumours, half-truths or innuendo regarding asset declarations.”
According to the assets declaration form marked OYSE/2019/001, and submitted to the CCB and made public this month, Mr Makinde’s worth is put at about N50 billion – his firms are worth up to N48.1 billion; shares, cash and portfolios make up the rest.
In a statement today by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Public officials cannot lay claim to absolute privacy in matters of asset declarations. There is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of information on the assets of public officials, including state governors, who are trustees of Nigeria’s wealth and resources. There is nothing inherently private in the affairs of governors, and we will consider appropriate legal action if state governors continue to fail or refuse to publish their asset declarations.”
SERAP said: “Continuing failure or reluctance by many state governors to publish their asset declarations submitted to the CCB may lead to public perception that the governors are attempting to hide something from the citizens regarding those declarations, especially given the fact that many of the public officials being tried for or convicted of corruption are found to have made a false declaration of their assets.”
The organization also urged the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to “use his leadership position and good offices to encourage all the members of NGF who have not yet done so to declare their assets and to publish their declarations submitted to the CCB without delay. The NGF can play a positive role in encouraging greater transparency in asset declarations by governors.”
The statement read in part: “As fiduciaries and trustees of the public weal, state governors are under an inescapable obligation to serve the public with highest fidelity and openness. In discharging the duties of their office, they are required to display good faith, honesty and integrity. They must be impervious to corrupting influences and they must transact their business frankly and openly in the light of public scrutiny so that the public may know and be able to judge them and their work fairly.”
“Transparency in asset declarations is needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed. Publishing the asset declarations by governors would help address the high level of public distrust and dissatisfaction with spending of security votes by state governors, enable closer relations between state governors and the public, and secure the confidence of the citizens in their governments.”
“The prevailing distrust of bureaucracy and government officials has given Nigerians the desire to keep a tight rein on public officials. Openness is a necessary condition of popular democratic power, a predicate for effective representative government, and an indispensable part of the everyday life of the free individual.”
“Under Article 10 of the UN Convention Against Corruption, to which Nigeria is a state party, governments should take necessary measures to increase transparency in public administrations and to publish information periodically.”
“SERAP notes that a fundamental objective of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) is to prevent corruption and abuse of office particularly through its provisions on the declaration of assets by public officials. Provisions on the declaration of assets by all public officials including state governors are entrenched in the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.”
“Every public official is required to declare his/her assets immediately after taking office and thereafter, at the end of his/her term of office, by submitting to the CCB a written declaration of his/her properties, assets and liabilities and those of his/her unmarried children under the age of 18 years.”
“The asset declaration form also requires a public official to declare the assets and liabilities of his/her spouse. Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in that behalf to verify it is deemed to be a breach of the Code of Conduct.”
“Similarly, any property or asset acquired by a public official after the declaration which is not fairly attributable to income, gift or loan approved by the Code of Conduct is deemed to have been acquired in breach of the Code unless the contrary is proved.”
“The late President Umaru Yar’Adua publicly declared his assets in 2007. Kayode Fayemi also publicly declared his assets in his first tenure as Ekiti governor. Both President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo tersely made public their asset declarations.”
Tag: Governors
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Emulate Makinde's open asset declaration example, SERAP tells governors
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SERAP sues CCB over ‘claim on privacy of asset declarations of presidents, governors’
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit in the Federal High Court, Lagos, against the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over the bureau’s claim that it could not disclose details of the asset declarations submitted to it by successive Presidents and governors since 1999.
The group quoted SERAP as saying that doing so “would offend the right to privacy of presidents and state governors”.
Last week, the CCB refused a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by SERAP, saying: “Asset declaration form is private information.”
But in the suit it filed last Friday, SERAP said: “Asset declarations of Presidents and governors submitted to the CCB are public documents. Public interest in disclosure of the details of asset declarations sought by SERAP clearly outweighs any claim of protection of the privacy of Presidents and governors, as they are public officers entrusted with the duty to manage public funds, among other public functions.”
The organisation cited many laws to buttress its argument for the request for the information.
It is seeking the following reliefs:
“An order granting leave to the applicant to apply for judicial review and to seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the respondent to compile and make available to the applicant information on specific details of asset declarations submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau by successive Presidents, Vice Presidents, Senate Presidents, Speakers of House of Representatives, State Governors and Deputy Governors from 1999 to 2019 and to publish widely, including on a dedicated website, any such information.
“An order granting leave to the applicant to apply for judicial review and to seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the respondent to compile and make available to the applicant information on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the Code of Conduct Bureau and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers by the Bureau and to publish widely including on a dedicated website, any such information.
“An order granting leave to the applicant to apply for Judicial Review and to seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the respondent to immediately take cases of false asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for effective prosecution of suspects, and include banning the politicians involved from holding public offices for at least a period of 10 years and seeking refund of stolen public funds as part of the reliefs to be sought before the tribunal.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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Device ways to boast your IGR, Buhari charges governors
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday charged state governors to seek for ways to improve their Internally Generated Revenues (IGR).
The first term administration of President Buhari had released series of bailout funds to state governments to meet up with their financial obligations in the face of economic recession.
Buhari spoke while inaugurating the new National Economic Council (NEC), with tenure from 2019 to 2023 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Council is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
While urging the new NEC to press forward with key initiatives, Buhari asked them to specially focus on security, education health and agriculture.
Attaining progress in the four areas, he said will ensure a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.
Buhari said “Going forward, States must in the next four years find ways to increase internally generated revenues, improve VAT collection and increase agricultural output without disrupting business activities.
“I also want you to work with the Federal Agencies and the service providers in ensuring that broadband infrastructure is made available all over the country. Information and Communication Technology is the future of work and we must not allow ourselves to be left behind.
“Let me restate the high expectations on NEC as a veritable source of articulating policies and programmes that are expected to drive growth and development, secure our environment and take the country to the next level.
“Your Excellencies, the challenges that confront us in the next few years, especially in the areas of security, human capital development and employment for our youths are monumental and historic. But we are more than equal to the task.”
Noting that NEC was established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999), as amended, he said that by virtue of Section 153 and paragraph 18 of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution, NEC has the mandate to advise the President on economic policy of the country and in particular, co-ordination of the economic planning efforts, and programmes of the three- tiers of Government.
He said that he was happy that the Council made very significant progress, holding an unprecedented total of 38 meetings and setting up 10 Ad-Hoc Committees to address various issues of national concern during his first term of office,
In the course of its deliberations, he said that the last NEC came up with a total of 173 resolutions, cutting across eight areas, namely; a. Agriculture and Solid Minerals; b. Investments Promotion and Industrialization; c. Monetary and fiscal stability; d. Infrastructure; e. Health and Education; f. Revenue Generation; g. Security and h. Support for States.
He said that the resolutions were designed to energize the various sectors of the Nigerian economy to which the eight areas relate.
Initiatives brought about by the NEC resolutions, he said, are either implemented already or at different stages of implementation across the country.
“Together, they have proved to be of utmost importance in dictating the pace of national development.
“I therefore urge the NEC Coordination Team to press forward with key initiatives that will strengthen the implementation mechanism, enhance cooperation across States and further promote joint deliberations, peer learning and experience sharing, under a very strong Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
“Your Excellencies, I want you to pay special attention to the four major issues of security, education, health and agriculture in the coming years of this tenure. As you are no doubt aware, our successes in these four areas will go a long way in lifting our people out of poverty and secure our future for sustainable growth and development.
“On Security, government will continue to rate security of lives and properties as top priority on our agenda. We are firmly committed to securing the territorial integrity of our nation, while confronting the remnants of terrorists, bandits and other criminals across the country.
“There must be collective and deliberate efforts by all to improve the security of lives and properties across the country. Security is a bottom to top operation. Everybody must be involved for total success.
“On education, I want to stress in particular the need to take very seriously and enforce very rigorously the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education. Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education.
“Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
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Governors meet over rising insecurity, dwindling IGR
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is currently meeting in Abuja over issues of national interest including security and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The agenda of the meeting which started around 8 pm on Wednesday at the Forum’s Secretariat in Maitama Abuja, included feedback on the governors’ earlier meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Security matters.
Also on the agenda was the Forum’s planned workshop on World Bank’s Engagement with States as well as IGR retreat for the governors and chairmen of States Boards of Internal Revenue
The governors will also get an update on NFIU Guidelines on Local Government Funds.
Other issues for discussion include the meeting with the leadership of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, update on Primary Heath Care under One Roof (PHCOUR) and other health related matters.
The governors will also be briefed on Sub-national Investment Promotion by Ms. Yewande Sadiku, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
Already at the meeting as at the time of the report, were Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ekiti, Mr Kayode Fayemi and the Deputy Chairman, Gov. Aminu Tambulwa of Sokoto State.
Other governors present were those of Lagos, Borno, Osun, Kano, Ondo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kogi, Plateau, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Ogun, Edo, Gombe, Niger, Bayelsa and Oyo, as well as Deputy Governors of Katsina, Zamfara, Enugu and Imo.
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NGF holds induction programme for new, returning governors
The secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is organizing an Induction programme for newly-elected and returning governors.
The initiative is aimed at supporting incoming governors to develop key governance and management skills that will enable them transition from campaigning to managing the processes of governance.
According to a statement by the NGF, the objectives of this induction include the following:
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Preparing Governors to make the most of their transition from campaigning to governing and building bridges for effective leadership.
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Deepening the knowledge and skills of Governors on the principles of governance and shaping their disposition and outlook to align with their work and motivation levels.
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Creating a platform that will enable governors to fully understand the philosophies, responsibilities, organization, and cultural values, along with key processes of governance.
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Creating an opportunity for peer learning, promotion of global best practices and networking with national and global leaders.
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Exposing Governors to relevant contemporary national priorities in critical sectors of the economy and driving consensus on opportunities to achieve desired outcomes.
The programme will hold between 28th April – 1st May 2019 and it will be multilayered and interactive.
It will feature plenary presentations and discussions by key stakeholders with diverse experiences.
This is aimed at generating conversation among the newly elected Governors, respected national and international leaders, heads of national institutions and development partners, among others.
Expected at the occasion are critical stakeholders, including current and past governors of Nigeria and the United States, to provide the opportunity for Nigerian governors to, not only network with national and global leaders, but also to gather useful information that will help them transition into their new roles as chief executives of States.
“It is expected that all the Governors will, at the end of their induction, have their knowledge and skills honed on the nuances of governance to better equip them to hit the ground running,” the statement said.
“All governors would have established relationships with national and global leaders and have a better understanding of the tools and opportunities available to achieve their vision and their priorities.
“The NGF finds it imperative to highlight the task before Governors and support them to create a workable framework that will aid them to achieve a smooth transition into their new administrations. A similar induction took place in 2011.
“A new addition to the program is the Governors’ Spouses’ Summit which is designed to be an introduction to public life for the spouses of newly elected and existing Governors.
“It is expected that this event would bring about an avenue to discuss how the activities of the Governors’ spouses can best compliment the roles of the Governors in promoting good governance at the sub-national level.
“This summit is also envisaged to harness and promote best practices in the execution of pet projects.
“The one-day summit is designed to build the capacity of the Governors’ spouses to develop and utilize their platforms to address critical issues affecting their State, with specific focus on social intervention issues.”
The event is scheduled to hold at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock Abuja, the NGF said.
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Minimum Wage: We won’t accept anything below N30,000, Labour tells governors
Organised labour Thursday warned that no state chapter of the labour movement would accept any renegotiation for downward review of the already signed minimum wage law of N30,000 from any state governor.
The National President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the declaration in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, while presiding over the election of new leadership of NLC in the state.
He stated that the Nigerian workers were under strict instructions not to accept any minimum wage less than N30,000 from the governors.
Wabba said the new minimum wage had become binding, having been approved by the two chambers of the National Assembly and signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said that the excuses by some governors that they could not pay the new wage was an afterthought and therefore untenable.
At the state NLC delegates conference, where the former Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, Ekiti State University Branch, Mr. Olatunde Kolapo, was elected as the new state chairman, Wabba insisted that the new wage would not be compromised under any guise.
Kolapo emerged unopposed among other executive members that were elected.
Wabba, whose address was delivered by an Ex-officio member of the Congress, Maureen Onyia-Ekwuazi, said the Congress would not take anything short of N30,000 as minimum wage from state governors since it had become “a law binding on everybody”.
“Once the minimum wage bill has been signed by President Buhari it has become a law and we won’t allow any governor to circumvent the law.
“What we asked for was a living wage and we cannot allow anybody to shortchange our members,” he said.
Wabba urged the new labour leaders in the state to be resolute and committed in the struggle for improved welfare of their members, saying that should be done without compromise.Performing the opening ceremony, Governor Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Mr Biodun Omoleye, promised the readiness of state government to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.
The governor said the newly-elected leadership of the trade unions in the state would be invited soon for a meeting on the modalties for the payment.
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We expect all 36 governors to pay new minimum wage – Presidency
The Presidency on Tuesday expressed optimism that all 36 governors of states of the federation will comply with the new minimum wage bill signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that Buhari had on Thursday signed the N30,000 National Minimum Wage Bill into law and directed that the implementation should commence immediately.
It replaces the current N18,000 minimum wage, which had been in place since 2011.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, said the President expected all the states to pay the new wage.
Enang said, “For Mr President, he has signed the bill. Remember that the negotiations took place for over two years and all these things (funding) were taken into account and they were addressed by the committee.
“The governors and the local governments were all heard before eventually it was agreed that N30,000 should be the minimum wage from the initial demand of labour.
“I don’t think we should entertain any fears until there is any implementation problem.”
Enang further explained that the only immediate challenge might be that some of the states had already passed their 2019 budgets before the new Act came into effect.
For such states, he said the option for them was to consider supplementary budgets to make up for the difference between N18,000 and N30,000.
He said, “The only fear may be that some states may have already passed their budgets (2019) on the basis of N18,000, without the inclusion of the wage increase; in which case, they may have to consider a supplementary budget.
“Even the Federal Government today is still operating the 2018 budget, which had N18,000 as the minimum wage. The 2019 budget, which contains the provision for N30,000, has yet to be passed by the National Assembly.
“For the FG, it will only do adjustment of cost when the budget is passed without needing an additional appropriation.”
Some state governors have however expressed their willingness to pay the new minimum wage as one of the ways to boost workers’ productivity.
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Buhari hosts APC Governors, Senators-elect to a dinner
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday night hosted State Governors and Senators-elect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a dinner at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those in attendance included the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha and other presidential aides.
The governors of Kogi, Jigawa, Oyo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Osun and Lagos were also in attendance.
The Senators-elect at the event included all those who had directly or indirectly indicated interest to contest for the seat of President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly.
Prominent among the prospective contestants for the Senate leadership are Ahmed Lawan, Danjuma Goje and Ali Ndume all from Northeast zone of the country and Abdullahi Adamu from the North Central zone.
NAN reliably gathered that the APC zoning formula for the election of a new Senate President for the 9th National Assembly maybe part of the issues to be deliberated upon at the dinner.
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[BREAKING] Inconclusive polls: Osinbajo in secret meeting with Bauchi, Adamawa governors
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday met behind closed doors with the Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar and the Adamawa State Governor, Jibrila Bindow at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The two governors are seeking second tenure on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
But the governorship results of the March 9th elections in the two states were declared inconclusive.
The agenda of the meeting on Thursday was not made public.
It was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
Details later…
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Fight governors who resist payment of N30,000 minimum wage, Falana tells labour
Human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) has called on the organised labour to “fight” any governor who is unwilling to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.
Speaking at the 12th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, Falana said the first part of the new minimum wage battle had been won; the second is to compel state governments to pay.
“Labour should unite to fight any governor who may not want to pay the N30,000 minimum wage. States should cut their expenses and engage in income generating ventures.
“As for the workers, let the general elections be the last time that it will be left for our leaders to decide. Workers should come together. They should be the one to decide,” Falana said.
The NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, reiterated the urgency for the need to pass the minimum wage bill by the National Assembly.
“For millions of workers, an increase in the minimum wage is urgently needed to ensure a living wage that covers the cost of basic needs for a family.
“Workers must be able to freely bargain collectively through their union for wages that reflect the tone value of the work they do and for decent working conditions.
“On January 29, this year, the House of Representatives passed into law a new national minimum wage of N30,000. It is expected that upon the passage by the Senate, a conference of the two chambers of the National Assembly will harmonise the bill and send the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act to Mr. President for signing into law.
“We appreciate and commend the House of Representative for the expedited action taken on the new national minimum wage bill,” he said.
Wabba commended the Federal Government for releasing about N1.9 trillion to states for bailout, budget support and Paris club refund.
He said: “The release of about N1.9 trillion in the form of bailout, budget support and Paris Club Refund assisted greatly in addressing the non-payment of salary, pensions and gratuity in many states especially worker-friendly governors. In some few instances, the funds were diverted and the situation has not been fully addressed.”
Wabba said the economy given its vast potential, amid diverse challenges, showed some promises in recent times.
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.81 per cent in real terms in the third quarter of 2018.
“This is slightly better than the growth of 1.17 per cent achieved in the third quarter of 2017. The recent GDP growth and increase in internally generated revenue are signs of the steady recovery of our economy from recession. Despite these results, our economy remains largely import driven and dependent. The growth in the size of our economy – the biggest in Africa – is still non-inclusive as the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. Though described as mixed, our economy is essentially rent-seeking and still suffers from systemic distortions,’’ he said.