Constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to make public his assets.
Sagay, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said this when our correspondent asked him to respond to the controversies surrounding the President’s net worth.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had threatened to sue a foreign website,R ichestLifestyle.com, which adjudged Jonathan as the sixth richest African President if it did not retract the news. Abati further stated that the report insinuated that Jonathan had corruptly enriched himself.
In a media chat with journalists on NTA in 2012, Jonathan, when asked why he had not declared his assets, said, “I don’t give a damn. That is a matter of principle and I am not going to declare. It is not the President declaring his asset that will end Boko Haram.”
However, Sagay told our correspondent on Thursday that Jonathan erred by not declaring his asset when he became President.
He said, “I think the precedence that late President Umaru Yar’adua established which was followed by Jonathan was very good and I think it was a mistake on the part of President Jonathan when he assumed power in his own right, to refuse to declare his assets. He must lead by example.
“Nigeria is a country that is ridden with corruption. So if the President of the country says ‘these are my assets and when I leave office, I will declare again and you will see that I have lived a straightforward life,’ that would have been very encouraging.
“It will be very good for him to declare, it will set a standard that the leadership of the country will follow and will create a high level of transparency. I hope he does so.”
http://www.punchng.com/politics/declare-your-assets-sagay-advises-jonathan/

Big Joke. I doubt if he hasn't lost an account of his worth

FrankC3:

If Nigerians wants her leaders, not just her President or President Jonathan specifically, to declare their assets, people like Prof Sagay has the legal mind, goodwill and war chest to put together a bill to that respect and push it to the National Assembly. If the National Assembly accepts such considerations, then it becomes law that our leaders, from President to Local Govt Councillors MUST declare her assets publicly. Why he has not done that is part of the problem we are facing and that is exactly is why it is optional for the President to either declare publicly or just obey the legal requirement which is declaring to CoC.

Which National Assembly is that? The one that voted that the seized $9.3million wasn't an issue to be deliberated?

Thank you Sagay!! You've said it all. LIKE this post or HATE this post, Jonathan isn't the kind of Man Nigeria needs @ dis critical moment. We need a Leader. Someone worthy of emulation. Someone who sets examples so others can follow. Someone who can inspire change in every single Nigerian.

The looters don't give a dam. This is one of the reason I will always regard President Yar'Adua.

Now that he's amassed so much wealth from civil service,declaring his assets shouldn't be talked about.

Why exactly must the President make public his asset declaration when he has not only declared his assets to Code of Conduct Bureau but also signed into law the Freedom of Information Act that empowers the likes of Sagay (who should know) to request for such record from CoC? I don't understand it, maybe I a missing something. If public asset declaration is not a legal requirement, why is a lawyer, a SAN for that matter pushing for it, not for all public office holder, but just for the President?

Part of the problem we have is that Nigerians just love people who can play to the gallery - declare abridged version of assets publicly (after all, who else have records of your money in Swiss accounts), declare state of emergency in Power (something that doesn't even make sense at all) and other such displays.

If Nigerians wants her leaders, not just her President or President Jonathan specifically, to declare their assets, people like Prof Sagay has the legal mind, goodwill and war chest to put together a bill to that respect and push it to the National Assembly. If the National Assembly accepts such considerations, then it becomes law that our leaders, from President to Local Govt Councillors MUST declare her assets publicly. Why he has not done that is part of the problem we are facing and that is exactly is why it is optional for the President to either declare publicly or just obey the legal requirement which is declaring to CoC.

Voice of reason

ayukdaboss:

Which National Assembly is that? The one that voted that the seized $9.3million wasn't an issue to be deliberated?

The National Assembly, the Senate specifically have her reasons to refer $9.3m arms procurement matter to the Senate Committee on Defence and not debate it publicly because the Upper Chamber is convinced that it is a matter of military procurement and such matters are never subjected to public debate anywhere in the world. Remember that the Senate is led by a retired military office who knows more about military procurement that you do.

Anybody that is afraid of his idea, no matter how excellent or outlandish it is, being tested in his/her country's Legislature before acceptance or rejection is not ready for democracy. The question is, are you ready for democracy? Is Prof Sagay ready for democracy? What of Buhari and others that you support?

FrankC3:


The National Assembly, the Senate specifically have her reasons to refer $9.3m arms procurement matter to the Senate Committee on Defence and not debate it publicly because the Upper Chamber is convinced that it is a matter of military procurement and such matters are never subjected to public debate anywhere in the world. Remember that the Senate is led by a retired military office who knows more about military procurement that you do.

Anybody that is afraid of his idea, no matter how excellent or outlandish it is, being tested in his/her country's Legislature before acceptance or rejection is not ready for democracy. The question is, are you ready for democracy? Is Prof Sagay ready for democracy? [s] What of Buhari and others that you support? [/s]

I just don't understand the mindset of some of you. What brought Buhari into this matter?

Yar'adua, best president ever!

egift:
The looters don't give a dam. This is one of the reason I will always regard President Yar'Adua.

Which of these two options motivated you to write the trash above =>

* IGNORANCE
** MISCHIEF

Jonathan is the only elected officer ALIVE who has declared his assets publicly. Do you know of any other

egin:
Source http://pointblanknews.com/

Vice President Jonathan Bows To Pressure, Declares N.2Billion In Assets



VP Goodluck Jonathan 
The Vice president Goodluck Jonathan yesterday capitulated to public pressure over the public declaration of his assets as done by his boss, President Umaru Yaradua as he made public his assets declaration to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The assets which were made public by the senior Special Assistant to the Vice president on Media and Public Affairs, Ima Niboro indicates that the value of the Vice president total assets and cash in banks stands at N295,304,420.

This is about N561, 148,472 less than the assets declare by President Umaru Yar’Adua who declared his total assets to be at the value of N856,452,892.

Mr. Iniboro said the vice president’s decision to make public his assets declaration was to show that ‘there is nothing to hide’.

He added that the vice president is ‘a firm believer in the rule of law and this has guided his conduct in office through the years.

“It is this belief that also guided his position that having declared his assets for a total of seven times, there was no point in going further to publish the declaration” he noted

The vice president’s aide regretted that the position of the vice president not to make public his assets declaration had ‘generated an unfortunate storm, which is not only distractive but also quite unnecessary. We are worried that some newspapers and citizens we hold in high esteem have joined the fray.

“This merely shows that in the affairs of man, there comes a time when even the law must take a second place and the public mood must define our actions. To The Vice president, this is such a time, hence the choice to send you a copy of his declaration for publication” he said.

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In the assets declaration made public yesterday, it indicated that the vice president submitted his assets declaration before Justice Muktar Dodo of the Abuja high court on 30th May 2007, a day after the oath of office and oath of allegiance was administered on him.

A break down of the assets of the vice president indicates that he has four buildings located in Yenegoa, Abuja and his home town in Ogbia, Bayelsa state.

The Vice president said he owns a five bedroom Duplex in Gwarimpa 11, Abuja which was acquired in 2003 through loan and is valued at N24,990,000 while another Seven Bedroom Duplex, which he described as Village personal Home is located at Otuoke in Ogbia Local government area of Bayelsa state. It is valued at the cost of N18,000, 000 and was acquired through ‘savings and gifts in Kind.

The last of the Vice president’s residential buildings are the Four bedroom Duplex acquired in 2003 through ‘savings and gift in Kind’ in the Kpansia area of Yenegoa. The value of the building, he said is N15,000,000. The last Building is the extended Family house in Yenegoa which he said is a four flat storey Building acquired between 2003 and 2007 through savings. The value of the property is put at N10,000,000.

Under vacant and undeveloped plots, the vice president stated as follows: 1032.50 square meter of land located at Onopa Yenegoa and valued at N3,098.00. Plot 2C, 374 Low density Area Yenegoa allocated by the bayelsa state government and valued at N150,000. 2760.00 square meter plot at cadastral Zone BO2, Durumi, Abuja allocated by the federal Capital Development Authority and valued at N5,578,540. One Parcel of farm Land at Otuoke Ogbia acquired through inheritance and estimated at the value of N50,000,000.

Plot Medium Density in Yenegoa allocated by the Federal Ministry of Works and housing the value of which he said is N1550.00

Plot 29, Low density Area Plot in Yenegoa allocated by the Bayelsa state government the value of which is put at N4,908. While the last undeveloped plot owned by the vice president is plot 2246 Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja the value of which he put at N4, 800,000. It was allocated by the Federal Capital development Authority, FCDA

The Vice president’s investment in stocks which is being managed by City Code Investment Company is as follows.

S/No Name of Stock Number Of Shares Value As At 5/25/07
1 CADBURY PLC 8,666 N264,313
2 FLOUR MILLS PLC 8,466 N635,119.32
3 GUINESS NIG. PLC 6,395 N796,177.50
4 UNILEVER 18,750 N337,500
5 UNION BANK OF NIG. PLC 23,466 N727,446
6 FIDELITY BANK PLC 33,333 N296,663.70
7 UBA PLC 180,000 N6,838,200
8 ACCESS BANK PLC 84,656 N1,635,553.92
9 CADBURY PLC 2,500 N76,250
10 UNION BANK PLC 716,109 N22,199,379
11 FIRST BANK PLC 20,000 N808,000
12 FLOUR MILLS PLC 13,333 N1,000,241.66
13 NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC 10,000 N363,000
14 BANK PHB PLC 866,666 N24,959,980.80
15 OANDO 15,125 N1,134,375
TOTAL 2,007,465 N62,072,200
Other investments include 4nos passenger boats for hiring which is valued at N5, 260,000. While the total cash in Nigerian banks being personal saving of salaries/allowances and income from his investments stands at N58, 984,123.

The vice president house holds utensils including generators, a BMW car valued at N15, 800,000, which he said was a gift; air conditioners, furniture, electronics and kitchen utensils is valued at N41,800,000.