Prof. Isah Mohammad, Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, has charged the assets verification committees of the Bureau to submit its findings within four weeks of its inauguration.
He said this at the formal inauguration of the assets verification committees in Abuja.
Mohammad said that the major objective of the committees was to establish truthfulness of assets declared by public office holders.
He added that the exercise was meant to also verify backlog of completed assets declaration forms submitted to the bureau from 2017 to 2020.
He added that the first stage of the exercise would begin with public officers domiciled with the Federal Capital Territory.
“This exercise is consistent with President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.
“The major objective of this exercise is to establish truthfulness of assets declared with a view to ascertaining the existence, ownership and completeness of items declared to the bureau.
“Ensure that public officials are not engaging in illicit wealth acquisition and that their official actions are in compliance with the provisions of the code of conduct for public officers.
“Detect conflict of interest and expose anticipatory or false declarations,” he said.
The chairman also charged members of the committees to carry out the assignment with diligence, dedication, fairness, firmness and integrity.
“Your terms of reference are to scrutinise the completed assets declaration forms of career public officers and all appointed and elected political office holders with a view to ensuring the veracity or otherwise of the declarations made.
“You are also to carry out due diligence by cross-checking the declared assets with data domiciled in sister agencies.
“Invite declarants for conference verification and proceed to the field to carry out physical inspection of assets declared,” he said.
Elder Obolo Okpanachi, Chairman, Assets Declaration Committee, said that the sub committees comprised one member of the bureau, a secretariat, technical personnel and general services staff.
He added that they were grouped in such manner to enable them cope with the large number of public officers that would be attended to.
He also enjoined the committee members to swing into action immediately to enable them to deliver within the time frame given to them.
The seven sub-committees comprises 12 members each and the event had in attendance civil society organisations, some of which include, Integrity Organisation, Osiwa and Step-up-Nigeria, among others.
