[ariteni]

You have spoiled a very beautiful essay by echoing the alibi that public officers are pressurized into corruption. It is not true that any community would castigate its son for not corruptly enriching himself on the slot of that community. This embellishment is unnecessary. That is an insult to the moral sense of Nigerians. Certainly such a thing would not happen in Yorubaland. Most of those who served in Chief Awolowo's AG and UPN are still alive. They remain heroes for resisting the temptation to loot. The same goes to the members of PRP and to some extent the NPP. They did not leave an empty treasury. So you cannot generalize.

If you have taken notice assets declaration by public officers is one of the strictly enforced provisions of our Constitution. The Bureau has been doing a good job silently. The Tribunal has also tried and convicted hundreds of Public Servants for Non-Compliance. Records of assets of all our top public officers are with the Bureau.

The Problem is (as you rightly pointed out) the officers refuse to make the declarations public.
But we can go round that if we are determined enough. We have to be creative and ingenious. Did Godwin Daboh consult anybody before he presented and deposed to an Affidavit in court alleging corrupt act by a minister even under a Military Regime? What about Aper Aku? What about Gani Fawehinmi? What about Olu Bajowa? What about Dora Akunyili? You need to apply unconventional tactics to fight corruption. That is one area I personally agree with Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Left to me, Nigeria would have done better fighting corruption if we had rendered Alamie and Dariye to the INTERPOL and then to Britain. Why did we render the drug pushers and terrorists to US govt for trial NOTWITHSTANDING that they were Nigerian Citizens? Musa Bamaiyi singlehandedly drove drug pushers underground in this country. The EFCC Chief has no excuse. At this crucial hour, his option is to prosecute the Governors etc or resign "jeje".

Those who have been pressurizing Yar'Adua to review and revise contracts entered into by Obasanjo should start from their Local Governments and States. The greatest damage consequent upon corruption happened at the local level. Unless and until we force the successors to probe their predecessors we can expect no progress and the assets declarations are useless because it is after a man leaves office that an evaluation is ripe.
Buhari did a good job as Head of State fighting corruption ex-post facto.

In a country of the blind, one eyed man is king. Public Assets Declaration by the President should not ordinarily be news. But because the soldiers were above the law and never did and ONLY Yar'Adua (of all 36 Governors) did in 1999 and 2003, it is news. I would not question the declaration as Abati just did. Nor ask if the Presidents kids have assets. He is not yet under probe. (And Babangida's kid that had aseets, what have you done about it?) The way forward is for Nigerians to insist that their Governors and Local Govt Chairmen also publisize declarations otherwise Yar'Adua's point is missed and he is helpless.