From CONSOLIDATED effort to rid Nigeria of official corruption received an unusual boost at the weekend from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The Bureau, which has had a running battle with powerful political forces in anti-graft crusade, backed the long-standing clamour for an open declaration and verification of assets of public officers in the country.

The endorsement came from the Chairman of Bureau, Mr. Yakubu Tukur, who addressed media executives in a pre-ministerial press briefing at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

Tukur, who was supported by the Secretary of the Bureau, M.G Buba in the presence of Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Constance Momoh, however, noted that the support was hinged on two conditions that would fast-track the process.

This the preparedness of the National Assembly to enact a law that will enable the Bureau to enforce open declaration of assets and the passage of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Bill that will enable 'Whistle Blowers' in the society to kick against false declaration even in the open.

Tukur, in response to a question, said the Bureau had always wanted the open declaration as a practical step to transparency in the management of assets of public officers.

His words: "We have always wanted that open declaration but it is not our responsibility to amend the laws to allow us do that... there is no way the Bureau alone can amend the law."

At the moment, there is no legal backing for open declaration of assets in Nigeria, a development that Nigerians feel has encouraged under or over-declaration of assets.

Over-declaration occurs, as alleged, when officers over-declare assets they do not possess but work hard while in office to meet the set target declared that even their constituents couldn't challenge.

The FoI Bill, unarguably the oldest and most traumatised Bill in Nigeria's 10 years of uninterrupted democracy, is not making any steady progress in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Indeed, some committee members in the Senate had allegedly bastardised the original draft and added more provisions to render the document impotent.

In response to another question, Tukur explained why a suggestion that the Bureau should be merged with other anti-corruption agencies is not feasible.

He said: "No, there is no over-lapping in the functions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and other agencies. While we are specifically for declaration of assets of public officers, others including the EFCC and ICPC involve private sector organisations and individuals and there is therefore no single agency that can handle that in a country of 140 million people...."

Although the attempt has lost steam, the current Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, had on assumption of office barely two years ago, stated that he would like to merge the three related anti-graft agencies - the EFCC, ICPC and CCB - to forestall overlapping, as some petitioners had often copied all the agencies.

The Justice Minister later clarified that the CCB would not be merged and there had been no word on the matter since 2007 when the idea was mooted.

Tukur noted that "all the bodies have various provisions and peculiarities that they pursue according to the enabling laws... it is only the petitioners that are ignorant of where to submit their petitions."

He also spoke on the perception that some Nigerians, who used to come to Abuja in night buses, suddenly became rich, owning fleets of choice cars and mansions in a few months in office.

According to him, perception alone could not stand the test of prosecution in court, "as members of the public need to write petitions and pieces of evidence that public officers were, indeed, doing business and acquiring assets illegally while in office."

This was also in reaction to an inquiry that some officers were generally believed to be guilty of what the CCB law calls "conflict of interest," whereby some highly placed officers in the immediate past administration were believed to have set up about three private universities while they were in office and in power."

The CCB boss, who was assisted by the Secretary, noted that, "recall that while some of the alleged officers were setting up the businesses you talked about, they enjoyed legal immunity."

"But now that they are no longer in office, something is still going on at various levels even as petitions still have to come to the Bureau before taking action...."

Tukur, who said the role of the press in the fight against official graft is critical, called on the media to "join hands with the Bureau to entrench integrity, loyalty, accountability, transparency as hallmarks of government service."

He told the media executives that the Bureau has a critical role to play in an effort to free the country from unprecedented official graft.

His words: "The need for Code of Conduct for public officers cannot be overemphasized. This is particularly so when viewed against the backdrop of large scale fraud and corruption, which has become prevalent in the public service, and which has scarred our external corporate image so badly.

"Nigerians have suffered physical deprivation and poverty directly as a result of corruption. The time has come for us to conscientize ourselves towards acceptable behaviour and use Code to enhance our resolve."

He said details of the activities of the Bureau, as they affect the state of prosecution of some notable public officers, among other s, would be given on Tuesday when it holds its annual ministerial press briefing.

The Guardian Newspaper, Lagos