Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday said he had already
declared his assets to the relevant authority according to the law,
adding that declaring his assets publicly was not part of the dictates
of the law.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo
Inko-Tariah, in a statement noted that it was necessary for people to
de-emphasise asset declaration, but the sincerity behind such exercise.
According
to him, some public office holders could over-declare their assets to
pave the way for them to steal public funds in future, while others, who
had held public offices in the past, might under-declare their personal
belongings in order to give the impression that they were never
involved in corrupt practices while in office.
He
said: “The governor has declared his assets and this is exactly what he
told newsmen during the tour of his administration’s projects.
“There
is no law compelling him to make his declaration public. He has
declared his assets and the declaration was made to the relevant
authority.
“Let me also say that it is not just about asset
declaration; it has to do with the sincerity of the person because some
may over-declare when they want to steal in future. So, they declare to
accommodate the theft in future.
“Some may also declare for
whatever reason; maybe they have held public offices in the past and
they don’t want people to know that they have stolen money. So, people
will declare; it is not all about the declaration of assets.
“What is crucial is the sincerity of the person declaring and you are supposed to declare when you get out of office.
“But
the truth is that if you are a governor or a minister, what matters is
the delivery of the dividends of democracy. That is what is important
and it is not about what you declare and how much you declare.”
Wike
debunked the claim by the All Progressives Congress in the state that
most of the projects completed by his administration were started by the
immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
He, however, noted that projects that will impact on the lives of the people should not be abandoned by any successor.
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