The last time Ms Hilda Effiong Bassey featured in this column was in a piece titled “Tales The Country Told Me: Hilda Baci and Seun Kuti” (ThisDay, May 16) wherein I commented on her courage and heroism for using her culinary skills to bring herself to global attention by breaking the Guinness World Record in cooking, what has now become known as cook-a-thon. Hilda Baci, 27, cooked for 100 hours at the Amore Gardens, Lekki, Lagos, from Thursday, May 10, till Monday, May 13. 2023. Her exploit was a big social media event, a big, welcome distraction for a Nigerian community that was becoming weary of corrosive and febrile politics arising from the country’s 2023 general elections. Celebrities trooped to the venue of the cooking marathon for photo opportunities. Hilda Baci became an instant celebrity too. Many defied the heavy rainfall to support her.

As it turned out, the Guinness World Record, after assessing her submissions ruled that she had in fact made up to 93 hours, 11 minutes - seven hours short of her target but remarkable enough to dethrone the then cooking marathon champion - Indian Chef Tata Landon who set the existing world record of 87 hours, 45 minutes in 2019. Ms Baci became an instant megastar. She won endorsements. She was given a royal reception by her home state of Akwa Ibom. She even got to meet billionaires and because she is backed by a good social media team, and looks really stunning, stylish, a head-turner in appearance on top of everything, she generated so much excitement. Some people tried to cash in on her fame by organizing a “Meet and Greet Hilda Baci” event for an admission fee which she promptly turned down. She has since been reported as using her celebrity status to raise funds for widows, by cooking more. She has since received her certificate from the GWR. I wrote in praise of Ms. Baci’s creativity, how through sheer imagination and effort she got transformed from being a great unknown into a global figure. But I have since noticed an emergent Hilda Baci syndrome that speaks to the character of the average Nigerian, and this is a problem, an abnormality. Not long after Hilda Baci was recognized by the GWR, the Hilda instinct started crawling out of many Nigerians who wanted to be like her. These persons have since turned the country into one big kitchen of emergency cooks. It is not funny. It is beginning to look like the spread of mass psychosis! Ms Tata Landon kept the record for marathon cooking from 2019 – 2023. Nigerians are not even allowing Ms Baci to enjoy a month of fame, before they started rolling out their own kitchen utensils in larger numbers to displace her.

By June 9, another Nigerian lady, Ms. Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy had entered the kitchen in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State with the mind to cook for 120 hours and prove that she could do better than Hilda Baci of Akwa Ibom State. She did 120 hours, June 9 -13.! The people of Ekiti were excited. They had produced their own marathon cook, so they thought. Chef Dammy was celebrated by the First Lady of Ekiti State. The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Professor Sunday Abayomi Fashina led a delegation of University Council Members to visit Chef Dammy, a student of the university, to thank her for putting the university on the global map. Imagine a whole university throwing its weight behind a cooking event. Ekiti persons in diaspora also expressed their excitement with one of them sending a return ticket to the US and N500, 000 in appreciation, someone else sent a gift of N1 million but as Chef Dammy herself disclosed later, she didn’t make up to N2 million. She also got some endorsements. But she did not displace Chef Baci. What she got instead was a statement from Guinness World Record advising that anyone who wants to break a record must first apply and follow due process. Chef Dammy did not. She was courageous, but hers was a waste of time and energy, more or less. She has however threatened to cook again in July and follow due process. We were told in an official statement by her handlers that “Chef Dammy is coming back!”. But before then, other cooks have since stepped into the fray. In Ile-Oluji, Ondo State, Ms Adeola Adeyeye, aka Chef Deo announced a 150-hour cooking marathon again to beat Hilda Baci. Unlike Chef Dammy of Oye-Ekiti, Chef Deo followed due process and took the precaution of informing the Guinness World Record, hence from June 30 2023 – July 7, she too started cooking round the clock and crossed the 150-hour mark. If she submits her evidence to the GWR, she could break Ms. Baci’s record and become the new champion.

But again, she is not alone. About the same time that she applied to GWR, an Ogbomoso-based chef, Temitope Adebayo also applied for a 140-hour cooking marathon, and his application was verified but it is just that he has been asked to wait till November 2023 before he enters the kitchen. He says he is ready and he has been taking lessons in endurance and stamina building. He is probably thinking of extending his advertised 140 hours, to surpass Chef Deo of Ondo who is expecting a response from GWR. Generally, this is very much like what Nigerians refer to as a “wahala be like bicycle” situation, and understandably, the obsession of young Nigerians (age range 26 -31) with cooking marathon has generated comedy skits with one Chef Damilda Adeoci clowning around on instagram that he intends to break the cooking record by 363 hours, 11 minutes. There is never a shortage of humour around here. Nigerians joke with everything and everything. But there are others who do not think this is a joke who have proposed other options in pursuit of a Guinness World Record. Here are a few examples, because nobody knows what may still come up tomorrow: At the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) a computer science lecturer, Joshua Hassan Bature is now proposing a 150- hour teaching marathon which he calls ‘aca- a-thon”. The GWR people have given him an October 16, 2023 date. I hope “Lecturer 150 hours” would have enough audience for his computer jargon.

Similarly, one Oluwatobi Kufeji, Alejo Pataki, is proposing a 200-hour singing marathon. He calls his proposal: “Praise Worship-a-Thon”. There is also Joyce Ijeoma, the Nigerian lady who wanted to set a record for the longest hours for body massaging. She collapsed in the process and had to be revived! There is also a lady from Benue State, Treasure Joseph who says she wants to set a record for the longest video on instagram with a target of 125 hours between July 5 -9. Woli Arole – I want to believe that one is truly clowning, has also been quoted as saying that he wants to do a “Prayer-a-thon” for 5, 000 hours. Please, who has to pray to God for 5, 000 hours before he answers? The Catechist taught us that God sees our mind. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. Apparently, whatever God Woli Arole worships needs over 5, 000 hours before he can hear His children’s pleas. But the more ridiculous aspect of all this is that the Hilda Baci syndrome has since gone across the border. Nigeria is the main leader in West Africa and to a great extent in Africa. Other countries within the sub-region look up to us. That is probably one of the reasons why President Tinubu is now the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments, within 41 days of his assumption of office as President. It also probably explains why when our President decided to remove fuel subsidy on May 29, some motorcyclists in Cameroon had the temerity to stage a public protest to question President Tinubu, asking him to reverse himself because the economic policy in Nigeria is not in their best interest in Cameroon.

It further makes sense to see why and how the Nigerian Hilda Baci syndrome has crossed the border. In Cameroon, a 25-year-old lady who wants to be the Hilda Baci of Yaounde has now announced a sex-a-thon. She wants to have sex with able-bodied, strong men for 200 hours non-stop. She wants strong men to line up. In Ghana, another lady is proposing “eat-a-thon.” How did we get here please? Nigeria is now a country that is exporting psychosis to demonstrate leadership? Other countries are demonstrating leadership in cutting edge science and technology, artificial intelligence, and global politics, we are here, a country of over 200 million people, with youths that are obsessed with cooking, prayers, singing, sex and a culture of frivolity. Nigeria should not become a sub-regional leader that exports mass, intercontinental psychosis. Can anyone in fact believe the fact that in this country today, one Nigerian lady is now launching what she calls “snails--a-thon”? She wants to cook and fry snails for 500 hours and get into the Guinness Book of World Records. At least one person has called on the Nigerian government to stop the madness from spreading further. Not many would disagree, and we already have an example in this regard.

In Ekiti state, one guy called Sugartee showed up the other day proposing to organize what he called a 72-hour “kiss-a-thon”, that is a kissing marathon. The same Ekiti state government that accommodated the cooking competition by Chef Dammy and the proposed lecture marathon by lecturer Bature immediately stepped forward to ban the proposed kissing marathon as “unhealthy, absurd and an attempt to denigrate the image of Ekiti State.” In my view, the Gov. Biodun Oyebanji administration acted rightly in the interest of public morality. Coincidentally, the GWR itself had banned kissing world records among its categories because of the risks involved. It has since accommodated a revised kiss-a-thon but with a different set of rules, and procedures. While individuals have the right to express themselves, it is also important to stress that there are no absolute rights. As the Ekiti state government has done in the case of the so-called “kiss-a-thon”, the Nigerian government must draw a line in the sand with regard to all the GWR psychosis that has overtaken the country. Danny Lammy of Cameroon for example is calling on strong men to come over and have free sex for 200 hours. If any Nigerian man shows up at that free sex event, assuming it eventually happens, such a Nigerian male citizen should be arrested on his return for engaging in an act that is against public morality and the order of nature. When the accused person gets to court, he and his lawyers can go and argue their case about jurisdiction, human rights and morality. What nonsense!

The real problem is that Nigeria is a troubled country and the evidence shows in the psychotic conduct of its people. It was Aristotle who told us that “imitation is a form of flattery”, and in addition that “a child learns by imitation”. The people imitating Hilda Baci and seeking a Guinness World Record are not children. It appears they are envious people, lacking in originality who simply want to pull down Hilda Baci, and prove that they are better than her. Envy. Jealousy. Desperation. In a country where inflation is galloping, and more people are slipping into the poverty trap, salaries and pensions are not paid, it must not be too surprising that the young people have become so desperate they would imitate anything that can bring a little fame and opportunity. Hilda Baci cooks for hours, gets famous, everyone else rushes to the kitchen. It is an emergent trait in our land. People don’t think. They copy. If you set up a business, and you seem to be doing well, before you know it, everyone in the neighbourhood would set up a similar shop. And if they have their way, they will stop at nothing to pull you down, in typical crab-mentality fashion. It is a crime to succeed at anything in Nigeria. And it is in every facet of our lives: in politics, business, academia and even in personal relationships. When as a politician, you give people opportunities to also grow and rise, the next thing they would be gunning for is to dethrone and send you into retirement while they move past you. Many friends whose colleagues die, pretend to be helping the widow, but their main interest is to take over the wife whom they have always been eyeing by the way. This is the root of the psychosis.

Worse still, this character flaw is often justified as did the kiss-a-thon Sugartee of Ekiti state. After the state government banned his proposed programme he later came forward to say that he actually did not want to organize any kissing marathon. He, being a musician, would ordinarily have proposed a singing marathon, but if he said he wanted to sing, nobody would have paid any attention. So, he had to announce a kissing marathon which got him the attention and influence that he needed. “People now know Sugartee,” he said. “In this country, you need something to get people to talk about you.” Sugartee also reported that he was invited to the Ekiti State Government House, and that he, the same man that the past administration in the state ignored, is now being invited by the new administration. And he has the effrontery to take the people for a ride and promote a scam? Sugartee and others like him who have turned the pursuit of a Guinness World Record into an opportunity for clout-chasing, misrepresentation and deception should be made to face the full wrath of the law. There are too many jobless people in this country, particularly among the younger generation who are willing and ready to turn everything into a joke. Can we all get serious for once please? Administrators of The Guinness World Record also have an obligation to review their procedures and introduce more stringent rules to protect public morality and humanistic values. Nigerian youths have a bigger obligation to dig deeper into our culture as Africans to evoke and embrace profound authenticity, innate resourcefulness and heritage that we have across board instead of competing viciously for Western style-records that come across as a validation of their own limitations rather than true strength.

Former Governor of Ekiti, Ayo Fayose has slammed critics asking him to give account of how he appropriated funds during his tenure as governor of the State.

Fielding questions on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Sunday, furious Fayose told his critics to “go to court” adding that he made his money outside politics.

When asked if he would publish details of how he administered state funds as Ekiti governor, he answered; “That’s a very meaningless question. They have charged me to court, anybody that is not satisfied should also take me to court.

“How can I be explaining how I spent (Ekiti money)? I was one governor that never borrowed a dime. Ekiti people cannot forget me for the good works I did.

“Do you (referring to the anchor) think I’m a pauper? I made my money before you became a presenter. So don’t go there at all. If anybody’s money is missing, let them go to court.”

The PDP chieftain and his company, Spotless Investment Limited are being prosecuted over an alleged N6.9 billion fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on July 2, 2019, re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and stealing.

The defendants were first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.

The case was later adjourned till May 8 and 9 and June 6, 8, 2023 for continuation of trial.

President Bola Tinubu, on Monday evening, returned to Abuja after a two-day official visit to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

President Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 6:30p.m., aboard the NAF 001 Boeing 737 jet.

While in Bissau, the President was unanimously named the new Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, making him one of the fastest into that office, after the election into office as President of any of the member-states.

After accepting the role of Chairman of the Authority, Tinubu pledged to bear the responsibility of the office and run an inclusive administration of the regional organisation.

He warned that terrorism and the persistent pattern of coup d’etat in the region had reached alarming levels, demanding urgent and concerted action.

He argued that insecurity and creeping terrorism were stunting the progress and development of the sub-region, necessitating collective action from member-states.

While decrying the emerging pattern of coup d’etat in West Africa, Tinubu charged ECOWAS to stand firm in defence of democracy.

“There is no one among us who did not campaign to be a leader. We didn’t give our soldiers resources, we didn’t invest in them, in their boots, in their training to violate the freedom of the people,” he said.

According to him, the military turning its guns against civil authorities violates the principles upon which they were hired, which is to defend the sovereignty of their nations.

“We must not sit in ECOWAS as toothless bulldogs,” he added.

He urged his counterparts to strengthen their respective democratic institutions and ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Tinubu said his one-year tenure “will enhance engagements with the countries in transition (Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso) to ensure their quick return to democratic rule.”

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd in a statement on Monday confirmed that a private security contractor engaged by the corporation intercepted a suspicious Vessel with a Cargo of Crude oil.

The NNPC Ltd in a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Garba Deen Muhammad said the cargo was heading to Cameroun with the Cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location.

According to Muhammad, the vessel has been carrying out the illegal operation for the past twelve years.

The statement added that preliminary investigation has it that the oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore Ondo State, Nigeria. There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo onboard at the time of the arrest.

The Captain and Crew members were all on board when the arrest was made.

Below is the full statement by the NNPCL on the arrested vessel as made available to Naija News.

PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS INTERCEPT 800,000 LITRE CAPACITY VESSEL WITH STOLEN CRUDE OIL

“Following the receipt of credible intelligence, a Private Security Contractor engaged by NNPC Ltd., Messrs. Tantita Security Services, intercepted a suspicious Vessel with a Cargo of Crude oil on board on July 7, 2023.

“The Vessel, MT TURA II (IMO number: 6620462), owned by a Nigerian Registered Company, HOLAB MARITIME SERVICES LIMITED with Registration Number RC813311, was heading to Cameroun with the Cargo on board when it was apprehended at an offshore location (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°), with the Captain and Crew members on board.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the crude oil cargo onboard was illegally sourced from a well jacket offshore Ondo State, Nigeria. There was no valid documentation for the Vessel or the Crude Oil Cargo onboard at the time of the arrest.

“Further investigation into the activities of the vessel at the NNPC Ltd. Command and Control Centre also revealed that the Vessel has been operating in stealth mode for the last twelve (12) years. The last reported location of the Vessel was Tin Can Port in July 2011.

“Details of this arrest and the outcomes of the investigations were escalated to the appropriate Government authorities, upon which it was concluded to destroy the Vessel to serve as a strong warning and deterrent to all those participating in such illegal activities to cease and desist.

“Destroying vessels involved in transporting stolen crude oil is of paramount importance as a strong deterrent. The illegal trade of stolen crude oil not only inflicts significant economic losses on Nigeria and legitimate stakeholders in the oil industry, but also perpetuates a cycle of corruption, environmental devastation, and social instability.

“NNPC Ltd. assures Nigerians that we will sustain the momentum in the war against crude oil theft until it is brought to a halt.”

The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has said that Nigerians witnessed the worst phase of corruption under the last administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said this while delivering a keynote speech at the 60th call to bar anniversary celebration of legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola, in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State on Monday.

Bishop Kukah noted that even though corruption did not start under the last administration, they amplified it in moral, financial and other terms.

“We have seen the worst phase of corruption in Nigeria, Femi Falana, my friend here will speak about that because he has published a series of articles talking about what happened under the Buhari administration.

“They were not the ones who caused corruption but I think in the last administration, we saw the ugliest phase of corruption whether in moral terms, financial terms and other terms,” Kukah said.

The clergyman lamented that Nigeria is sharing its sovereignty which is guaranteed in the constitution with bandits and other terrorists.

He said that nobody is excited now about being a Nigerian even if they are President or Senators, as the country is literally being held hostage by people who threaten the very existence of our democracy and country.

Kukah noted that a lot of Nigerians have lost faith in the judiciary but added that he considers the judiciary a victim the same way every other institution in Nigeria is suffering a crisis.

According to him, Nigeria should not yet assume that it is a democracy but instead assume that it is matching towards democracy, which means rebuilding Nigeria “after the kind of mess the last administration has left the country.”

The Bishop said it is time to rebuild the country, adding that no matter what happens at the Supreme Court concerning the election, he is convinced that Nigerians have put the “ugly past” behind them.

The event celebrating 60 years at the bar of the founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, attracted a host of dignitaries including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Femi Falana, SAN, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku among others.

The Chief Spokesman for Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko has berated media newspaper [Not this platform] for publishing a false report about the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi.

Naija News reports that the newspaper had written about a purported interview where the former Anambra governor revealed his plans to become president in 2027.

However, the Labour Party Spokesperson, Tanko in a statement released on Monday stressed that Peter Obi never granted any interview at home or abroad about plans on becoming president in 2027.

He also cautioned the newspaper to desist from fabricating lies against its party’s flag bearer.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the media newspaper [Not this platform] and some social media networks on an interview granted by His Excellency Peter Obi to Arise tv.

“We want to quickly point out that this is the highest level of yellow journalism taken too far all in a bid to change the narrative as there was no time HEPO granted such a nebulous interview to Arise tv.

“HEPO arrived Nigeria from an overseas trip just this weekend and for any reputable media organisation to publish such a fallacy and complete fabrication calls to question the kind of journalism some Nigerians are practicing.

“For all avoidance of doubt, HEPO did not at anytime grant such an interview to any media organisation in Nigeria or outside the country. Please note!”

A notable human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has advised President Bola Tinubu to take a stand against corruption.

He expressed concern about high-profile politicians currently facing corruption charges, yet visiting the Presidential Villa.

Falana voiced his concerns during a commemorative event in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Monday, July 10, 2023, celebrating Aare Afe Babalola’s 60 years at the Bar.

“Some of those who are going in and out of the Villa are standing trial for looting the treasury of this country,” he declared.

“So, wrong signals must not be sent to our people and the international community.”

The respected lawyer urged the President and his administration to demonstrate effective leadership.

His call to action was not only directed towards the President but to other influential figures present at the event as well, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku.

Falana proposed a return to an era of integrity, where anyone accused of corruption, with a case pending before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), would not be appointed to an authoritative position.

Taking a cue from First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s remarks at the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Interdenominational Church Service, Falana urged the President to lead a campaign against corruption.

He was referring to Mrs Tinubu’s statement: “God has blessed my family. We don’t need the wealth of Nigeria to survive but to do the right thing.”

He believes that with such a campaign, led by the President, Nigeria can “take its rightful place in the comity of nations”.

Falana highlighted the severity of corruption in Nigeria, describing it as having reached a “very dangerous dimension”.

According to him, influential public officers are stealing funds intended for the development of public infrastructures, causing an alarming amount of suffering and death.

He concluded, “So when a country gets to that stage, corruption is now a crime against humanity.”

The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, has relieved all political office holders in the state of their duties.

The appointees whose appointment are terminated are those appointed before May 29, 2023.

The state government announced the development in a statement in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman on Monday.

According to the statement, Governor Bago ordered the dissolution and termination of the appointments with immediate effect.

They should go to court – Fayose reacts to critics’ allegation of funds misappropriation
The governor also dissolved all statutory Commissions, Boards, and Parastatals in the state.

The SSG further explained that Commissions, Boards, and Parastatals that are tenured or not tenured are also affected by the dissolution and urged concerned officials to comply immediately with the directive.

While recognising their positive contributions to the development of the State and the affairs of their office, the SSG directed those affected by the dissolution to hand over all Government properties including official vehicles in their possession to the most senior directors in their respective organisations.

The governor wished the affected members of the dissolved Commissions, Boards, Parastatals, and Political Appointees success in their future endeavors.

The governor had on July 3 dissolved the state electoral commission.

In a statement issued by Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, Governor Umaru Bago ordered the dissolution of the state’s electoral body with effect from May 29, 2023.

According to the SSG, “Members of the Commission were directed to hand over all properties of the State Government in their possessions to the most senior Director in the Commission with immediate effect”.

The Niger State House of Assembly had, on September 27, 2022, sacked the chairman of NSIEC, Baba Aminu, over alleged misconduct.

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has directed former ministers, ex-lawmakers and other political office holders to declare their assets within the next three months.

The directive is in conformity with the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the bureau to vet the assets of public officers.

In line with the constitution, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have declared their assets.

Also, the 36 governors have followed suit.

On May 31, Buhari returned his asset forms with a statement that he has “taken no loans and he has no liability.”

A CCB source said: “These former public officers have a deadline of three moths to do so. We are hopeful that they will adhere to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution or else they will face the wrath of the law.

Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution empowers the CCB to receive asset declaration by any public officer.

From the list in Part II of the Fifth Schedule to 1999 Constitution, about 16 categories of public officers are bound by the Code of Conduct.

They include the President, Vice President, the President of the Senate, Deputy President of the Senate, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and all members of the legislative houses, governors and deputy governors.

Others are the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court, the President and Justices of the Court of Appeal, all other judicial officers and all staff of the court of law; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Attorney-General of each state.

The list covers the Ministers of the Government of the Federation, and commissioners of the governments of the states, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chairmen and board members of all government agencies, Ambassadors, High Commissioners and other officers of Nigerian missions abroad.

Other officers affected are the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and all members of the Armed Forces of the Federation

The constitution says: “Subject to the provision of this Constitution, every public officer shall within three months after the coming into force of this Code of Conduct or immediately after taking office and thereafter (a) at the end of every four years; and (b) at the end of his term of office, submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a written declaration of all his properties, assets, and liabilities and those of his unmarried children under the age of eighteen years.”

“The Bureau shall have power to receive declaration by public officers made under paragraph 12 of part 1 of the Fifth Schedule to this Constitution.

“Examine the declarations in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct or any law.

“Retain custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly may prescribe.

“Ensure compliance with and, where appropriate, enforce the provisions of the Code of Conduct or any law relating thereto.

“Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of this Code.

“Any property or assets acquired by a public officer after any declaration required under this Constitution and which is not fairly attributable to income, gift, or loan approved by this Code shall be deemed to have been acquired in breach of this Code unless the contrary is proved.”

“Receive complaints about non-compliance with or breach of the Provisions of the Code of Conduct or any law in relation thereto. Investigate the complaint and, where appropriate, refer such matters to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.”

The bureau said it has recorded 99% success from office holders.

It also issued advisory to all the 37 Chief Judges in the country not to allow any political office holder to take the oath of office without asset declaration.

But the bureau said Tinubu and other declarants are at liberty to either or not release the details of their assets to the public.

According to investigation, the Chairman of CCB, Prof. Isah Mohammed personally coordinated the asset declaration procedures for the President and his deputy.

It was learnt that all other Federal Commissioners of CCB were deployed in the six geo-political zones to coordinate asset declaration by governors and others.

Findings revealed that as at the time the CCB took stock of compliance at the weekend, about 99% success rate was recorded.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “From the CCB records, the President and Vice President have declared their assets. The CCB chairman personally met with the two officers and gave them the forms which they promptly filled and returned.

“In fact, they complied with the law before their inauguration. They said they preferred to lead by example.

“But we cannot release the contents of the forms because the CCB is constrained by law not to release the assets to the public. There is however a provision in the constitution on how to have access to their assets.”

To ensure compliance at the state level, the CCB sent an advisory to all the 36 state Chief Judges and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) not to administer oath of office on any governor or public officer without declaration of assets.

The source said: “I think the measures put in place by the CCB Chairman and his board members have really worked. The bureau has so far recorded 99% compliance with asset declaration provision in the constitution.

“All the Chief Judges cooperated with the bureau and the method has worked because all public officers were asked to respect the law.

“The advisory to the CJs is still subsisting because more appointments may be made at the Federal and state levels.”

When contacted, the Chairman of CCB, Prof. Isah Mohammed said: “CCB has achieved 99% compliance. We have recorded drastic improvement on all the procedures we put in place.

“In fact, since 2019, Asset Declaration by public officers have been encouraging.”

Findings however revealed that some former Ministers, Senators, members of the House of Representatives, state lawmakers and other office holders have been slow in filing asset returns.

It was learnt that former President Muhammadu Buhari, has however, led the first set of those who have declared their assets after completion of tenure.

Buhari on May 26th, 2023 directed all his cabinet members and aides to declare their assets.

He said no one was excluded.

Ondo lawmakers have approved an extension of the medical leave of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

No date was fixed for the resumption of the Governor in the new extension.

Governor Akeredolu last month began medical leave and said he would resume duties on July 7.

The new extension, according to Speaker Olamide Oladiji, was based on the doctor’s advice on the need for the Governor to take adequate rest after recuperating.

Oladiji said Governor Akeredolu forwarded the letter of extension on medical leave in line with section 190 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Oladiji said the Governor, in the letter, said his Deputy, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, would continue to act as Governor until a written declaration to the contrary is made.

The Speaker, who expressed appreciation to God for the speedy recovery of the Governor, expressed optimism that he would soon resume his duty.

Recall that in the governor’s letter, dated 5th June 2023, had informed the Assembly of proceeding on medical leave and was expected to resume on 6th July, 2023.

Also, the Organised Labour, in the state, has asked the governor to take some rest before resuming work.

They said “Despite his speedy recovery, we strongly urge our dear governor to prioritize rest and complete recuperation before resuming his duties.

“We understand his inclination to resume work promptly due to his strong work ethic, but we implore him to allow himself more time to rest and fully recover.