Afenifere urge Buhari to declare his asset publicly

The group's leader, Chief R.F Fasoranti, said the president should set an example by declaring his assets.

In a statement released on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, the group said the president should do so "Nigerians can hold him as a man of his words."

The call by Afenifere was made following the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as a result of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The group tasked the president to set an example in his bid to fighting corruption

The statement reads; " The constitutional crisis created over the illegal suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Walter Onnoghen over allegations of not fully declaring his assets has compelled Afenifere to declare his assets.

"Then General Buhari in 2014 in a document titled: I pledge to Nigeria, also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

"It is now four months to the end of the four-year tenure of Mr President and this pledge has not been fulfilled. Instead of doing what he pledged, Presidential aides have been giving all manner of untenable excuses in the last 3 and half years.

"This is a moral burden as it is said that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands and that examples are better than precepts.

A leader must not set for others standards that are very difficult for him to meet in the order of “do as I say and not as I do.

“The jeopardy of President Buhari’s anti-corruption war has really been one set of rules for the goose and another set for the gander. Afenifere, therefore, asks the President to immediately make his assets declaration form public so Nigerians can hold him as a man of his words.”

“Such a power of example sets greater tone for good conduct in society than a thousand arbitrariness in the name of fighting corruption.

“The true meaning of leadership is being able to lead by higher standards."

Meanwhile, the federal government has said that the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, does not signify the onset of dictatorship or tyranny, as some people have insinuated.

Minister of information, Lai Muhammed, said government had given the embattled CJN the opportunity of fair hearing, but he abused his position and the judicial process by filing frivolous applications and even dodging service of process.