Why we can't release details of Buhari,Osibanjo's assets-Code of Conduct Bureau

Despite controversy surrounding the declaration of their assets, the Code of Conduct Bureau will not make public the details of assets declared by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo due to limitations in federal laws covering such release, the office has said.

According to Premuim Times,despite his promise to declare , the president has yet to publicly declare his assets three weeks after taking office. His office said those details will be made available after the Code of Conduct Bureau authenticates claims in the declaration forms.

A civil society group, Stop Impunity Nigeria, an affiliate of the Centre for Social Justice, had on June 1, 2015 applied to the CCB to request copies of the completed assets declaration forms by the President and his deputy.

But, in its response CCB/HQ/670/G/1/104 dated June 10, 2015 and signed by Ijeanuli Ofor on behalf of the Chairman, the CCB declined the request, citing the absence of prescribed law by the National Assembly authorizing the release of such information to the public.

The Bureau, in its response, made available to PREMIUM TIMES, conceded the right by Nigerians under section 1(1) 3 and 4 of the FOIA 2011, to “access or request information, whether written or not in written form, in the custody of any public agency”.

Regardless, the Bureau said sections 12(1) (a) (v), 14(1) (b) and 15(1)9a) of the same Act empowered it to decline any request, which it considered an “invasion of personal privacy”.
“Assets declarations by public officers contain such personal information, which falls within the exemptions to the disclosure of information in the FOIA,” the Bureau said.