Trending 
The Code of Conduct Bureau says it has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.
The Chairman of the CCB, Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ workshop on anti-corruption and asset tracing organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.
Bello said the bureau had moved beyond simply receiving asset declaration forms to examining declarations, investigating suspected breaches and prosecuting offenders.
“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.
CCB checks assets during tenure
Bello said the verification exercise had focused on high-profile public officers.
“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” he said.
He explained that public officers are invited to the bureau for face-to-face examination of their records.
According to him, the CCB conducts verification when an official assumes office and can conduct another assessment at the end of the tenure.
“One of the key things that we do is that, once you declare your assets at the beginning of your term, we verify it, then we’ll wait for you at the end of your term, we’ll also verify it,” Bello said.
“If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” he added.
Bello, however, said the bureau does not have to wait until an official leaves office before investigating.
“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate,” he said.
Workshop Focuses on Asset Tracing
The workshop brought together stakeholders to discuss practical approaches to tracing and recovering illicit assets, strengthen collaboration, and protect whistleblowers.
The Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the meeting was designed to strengthen inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and the role of civil society in combating corruption.
He described the workshop as “conceptualised not merely as a platform for speeches, but as a technical working session”.
Sulaimon said one of its objectives was to bridge inter-agency gaps and promote stronger cooperation between government institutions and civil society organisations.
He also called for greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the CCB’s statutory mechanisms to trace and recover illicit assets.
HEDA Seeks Stronger Whistleblower Protection
Sulaimon also called for stronger safeguards for whistleblowers to encourage people to report corruption and other crimes.
The workshop comes as the CCB continues to strengthen its enforcement and verification functions. The bureau had earlier reported completing verification of asset declarations submitted by 108 high-risk public officials, including 19 ministers, 37 permanent secretaries and 20 heads of government agencies.
The latest disclosure indicates that the bureau’s scrutiny of senior public officers remains ongoing.
