CDS charges military officers on asset declaration

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olanisakin has charged senior military officers to declare their assets.
Olanisakin made the call yesterday in Abuja, during a 2-day workshop on Compliance with Asset Declaration and Code of Conduct for senior officers of the Defence Headquarters.
He said, “This seminar is
important especially for you senior officers, who, not only draw funds from government’s coffer, but are also responsible for the resources at your disposal. As I have always stressed, every officer who holds a position of responsibility must also be accountable.
“You are also aware that accountability is one of the cornerstones in the fight against corruption which is one of
Mr President’s 3-point agenda.
He said one of the objectives of the workshop was to educate and sensitize officers and men of the Armed Forces of Nigeria on the code of conduct and other constitutional responsibilities.
“As members of the Armed Forces, strict compliance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct is an opportunity to express a transparent stewardship in our day to day activities. It is my believe therefore that at the end of this 2-day workshop, you would have acquired sufficient knowledge and reasons why you must be compliant in your asset declarations and other requirements of the Code of Conduct Bureau.
“Since my assumption of office as the Chief of Defence Staff, I have always canvassed and pursued a system that emphasises judicious use of scarce resources to optimise value for the limited resources at our disposal. The procurement process has been reorganized to ensure transparency and full compliance with the guidelines of the Bureau for Public Procurement. The implication of this is that we have been able to cut down waste and ensure judicious utilisation of funds.
“I enjoin all participants at this workshop to take advantage of the training alongside the presence of some staffs of the Code of Conduct Bureau to thoroughly understand the requirement for assets declaration. Let me also stress that you would be required to pass on the knowledge acquired during this workshop to your subordinates in your various departments and agencies.
On his part, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Muhammed Isa, said the enlightenment workshop is an aspect of the preventive measures the Bureau undertakes to sensitize public officers and general public on the Code of Conduct for public officers as contained in part 1 of the Fifth Schedule, to the 1999 CFRN as amended.
“It is the strong belief of the Bureau that when top public functionaries of government are well aware and abide by these Code(s) of Conduct for Public Officers, the need for the application of punitive measures would be minimized to the lowest ebb if not eliminated, thereby reducing the resources expended on prosecution of cases.”