News: If voted into office, Buhari pledges to publicly declare assets

The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate in the March 28 election, Muhammadu Buhari, has pledged to publicly declare his assets and liabilities, once voted into office, adding that he would go ahead to encourage political appointees in his administration to toe same line.

Buhari made this known in a document obtained by Punch in Abuja on Thursday where he highlighted what his administration will do within its first 100 days, if he assumes power on May 29.

In the said document titled, “I pledge to Nigeria” the APC flag bearer further held that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

Should the APC candidate win the election and abide by his pledge, he would be the second Nigerian president to publicly declare his assets after late President Umaru Yar’Adua, also from Katsina State, who remains the first and only Nigerian leader to have publicly declared his assets upon assumption of office.

The late President’s action at the time led his then deputy, now President Goodluck Jonathan, to equally make his assets declaration forms available to the public.

But after becoming a substantive president in 2011, he refused to make his assets declaration forms available to the public, explaining that he did that when he was serving as deputy to Yar’Adua.

When asked during one of his media chats whether he would consider declaring his assets publicity, the President refused, declaring that he does not give a damn about the issue.