Balarabe Musa, Aborisade fault Buhari, Osinbajo on assets declaration

Balarabe Musa

DIFFERENT reactions are still trailing last Thursday’s declaration of assets by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The latest are coming from former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa and rights activist Femi Aborisade.

They both spoke during the sixth public lecture organised by Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation (GAFAMORG) in Akure on Saturday.
Balarabe Musa, who was the chairman of the occasion, extolled late Fawehinmi for his contributions towards the sustenance of modern democracy. He however, faulted the recent asset declaration by the President and his vice, Professor Osinbajo for delaying the act.

The National Chairman of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), who said that what the President told Nigerians during the campaign, was that he would publicly declare his assets, however, faulted his failure to do so until the opposition mounted pressure on him.

Musa said it is regrettable that a President like Buhari cannot be trusted for his words and this shows his insincerity in the fight against corruption.

The guest lecturer at the event, Femi Aborisade, recalled that the President told Nigerians that he had to borrow money to purchase his nomination form at the last election. He then wondered how three months after he could now have N30 million in his bank account.

Aborisade maintained that the asset declaration, especially of the President still leaves much to be desired if the fight against corruption in Nigeria by the All Progressives Congress (APC) can be seen to be honestly prosecuted.

According to him: “The use or misuse of public power for selfish interest defines corruption,” noting also that state governors who cannot pay their workers salaries, as enshrined in the constitution, should admit incompetence and resign rather than using the public law to maltreat the public.

Also, a Lagos-based lawyer Kayode Ajulo said the asset declaration is calculated to hoodwink Nigerians but to further use same to cover serial violations of their covenant with Nigerians.

Ajulo insisted that asset declaration must be done in prescribed form with particulars to ensure clarity and certainty, what is declared is vague, in bad faith and totally unacceptable.

“Particulars and full description of the asset have to be given for proper identification and verification. It is also incomplete, as the spouses of the two politicians did not declare theirs. It is the law that where any spouse of the declarant is not a civil servant/public servant such spouse should make the declaration with the better half,” he said.
Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko lauded the late human rights fighter, Gani Fawehinmi and pledged that he would continue to support GAFAMORG and all the legacies he left behind.
Mimiko remarked that politics is all about sacrificial services to the people, saying all his caring heart policies were borne out of his attempt to better the lives of the people in the state.

GUARDIANNGR