‘I Wont Make My Assets Public,’ Governor Wike Says

 

Wike said further that he had declared his assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau and as such had fulfilled the requirements of the law.

The governor, speaking through his media aide, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, made the comments on Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

He said:

“The governor has declared his assets and this is exactly what he told newsmen during the tour of his administration’s projects. There is no law compelling him to make his declaration public. He has declared his assets and the declaration was made to the relevant authority.”

“Let me also say that it is not just about asset declaration; it has to do with the sincerity of the person because some may ‘over-declare’ when they want to steal in future. So, they declare to accommodate the theft in future.”

“Some may also declare for whatever reason; maybe they have held public offices in the past and they don’t want people to know that they have stolen money. So, people will ‘under-declare’; it is not all about the declaration of assets.”

“What is crucial is the sincerity of the person declaring and you are supposed to declare when you get out of office. But the truth is that if you are a governor or a minister, what matters is the delivery of the dividends of democracy. That is what is important and it is not about what you declare and how much you declare.”

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo declared their assets publicly on September 3.

Buhari said further that every governor and minister would be expected to declare their assets in accordance with the constitution.