Femi Adesina: Buhari won’t declare assets publicly

Femi Adesina, spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari, says the president will not declare his assets publicly.

Speaking at a programme on Channels Television on Monday, Adesina said no law mandates the president to do so in his second term.

He said declaring assets publicly is voluntary.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had asked Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and all state governors to declare their assets publicly in seven days.

“The president will do what the law requires of him and I can say for a fact that the president has declared his assets,” Adesina said.

“Declaring that publicly is not in our law but voluntary. Therefore, he cannot be compelled to do so.

“If FOI Act is invoked, it will be left with the Code of Conduct Bureau to release such information. The president has declared and already deposited the documents to them. So, it’s left to them to make such a decision.”

In May 2019, Buhari submitted his asset declaration forms to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) as required by law for public officers.

The president said he does not have new assets other than the ones he declared in 2015 during his first term.

In 2015, Buhari said he had N30 million in his bank account, 270 cows, 25 sheep, birds, economic trees and five houses.