Code of Conduct for Public Officers: Part 3, By Okoi Obono-Obla
The Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the Fifh schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 (as amenddd) contains the following provisions in paragraphs 7-10 thereof thus:
Prohibition Against Offering Any Property,Gift , Benefit or Bribe: –
No person shall offer a public offer any property,gift, or benefit of any kind as an inducement or Bribe for the granting of any favour or the discharge in his favour of the public officer’s duties.
Abuse of Office:
A public officer shall not do or direct to be done, in abuse of his office ,any arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of any other person knowing that such an act is unlawful.
E.g sexual harassment of a colleague or a colleague.
Prohibition Against Membership of Societies:
A public officer shall not belong to,take part in any society the membership of which incompatible with the functions or dignity of his office.
Declaration of Assets:
Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, every public officer shall within three months after the coming into force of the Code of Conduct or immediately after taking office and thereafter:
a. at the end of every four four years ; and
b. at the end of the term of office ; submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all the properties ,assets and liabilities, and those of his unmarried children under the age of 18 years.
Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorized on that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
Any property or assets acquired by a public officer after any declaration which is not fairly attributable to income ,gift or loan approved by the Code shall be deemed to be acquired in breach of the Code unless the contrary is proved.
In practice, the public officers are also required to submit the properties ,assets, and liabilities of his spouse and siblings.
The problem is the non-enforcement or partial or indifferent enforcement of these provisions concerning assets declaration by the Code of Bureau.
The Code of Conduct Bureau has largely remained lethargic in the carrying out of its mandate.
To be continued tomorrow.
