Buratai directs senior military officers to declare assets

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, on Tuesday, gave senior military personnel a directive to declare all their assets in compliance with the Code of Conduct Bureau’s standard for public officers, saying it would ensure public morality and accountability in the conduct of army’s activities.

The COAS, who gave this directive in Abuja while declaring open, a two-day workshop themed: ‘Compliance with Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for Officers and Soldiers,’ stressed that the military personnel entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the importance of assets declaration and code of conduct.

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“The Nigerian Army under my leadership is desirous of maintaining the highest standard of accountability in the conduct of our activities, consistent with the requirements and behaviours of public officers which conform to the highest standard of probity, public morality, transparency and accountability.

“Accordingly, I have directed that the workshop be conducted in the six Army Divisions nationwide.

“My directive is premised on the belief that every Army personnel entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the importance of Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for public officers and comply with all the provisions and requirements,” he said.

The military Chief told the gathering that the workshop was important to the Army as it afforded the servicemen the opportunity to fulfil their obligations as public officers in line with the provision of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Speaking earlier, the Chairman, CCB, Isa Mohammed, who was represented by Prof Samuel Ogundare, said the challenges facing Nigeria were as a result of indiscipline in public life.

The CCB boss, however, commended the Nigerian Army for organising the workshop, which according to him, would afford the participants the opportunity to fully understand the workings of the Code of Conduct Bureau and the need for assets declaration.

In his welcome address, the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Maj. Gen. H. Vintenaba, emphasised that the workshop would help military officers to understand the consequences of non-compliance with the provisions of the CCB on assets declaration.

He said, “This workshop is timely as it would offer officers and soldiers the opportunity to fully understand the requirements for code of conduct and assets declaration as well as consequences for non-compliance.”