Onnoghen: Afenifere tells Buhari to declare assets publicly

Amidst public outcry that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onoghen is being politically prosecuted over allegations of not fully declaring his assets, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afrinfere, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fully declare his assets.

Noting that Afenifere was compelled to remind President Buhari to make his assets declaration public, the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, said President Buhari should keep his promise to Nigerians that he would declare his assets.

Recalling that Gen. Buhari in 2014 in a document titled, “I pledge to Nigeria” made some promises to Nigeria, Fasoranti, in a letter signed by him, said the president had vowed before the electorate that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC).

He said: “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees to publicity declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment.

“It is now four months to the end of the four-year tenure of Mr. President and this pledge has not been fulfilled. Instead of doing what he pledged, presidential aides have been giving all manners of untenable excuses in the last three and a half years.”

According to the Yoruba leader, “This is a moral burden as it is said that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands and that examples are better than precepts.”

Fasoranti stressed that a leader must not set for others, standards that are very difficult for him to meet in the order of “do as I say and not as I do”.

He said: “The jeopardy of President Buhari anti-corruption war has really been one set of rules for the goose and another set for the gander.

“Afenifere therefore asks the president to immediately make his assets declaration form public so Nigerians can hold him as a man of his words.

“Such a power of example sets greater tone for good conduct in society than a thousand arbitrariness in the name of fighting corruption. The true meaning of leadership is being able to lead by higher standards.”

(Credit: Thisday)