A Professor of Jurisprudential Criminology at Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, Kazeem Olaniyan, has called for more purposeful use of the Code of Conduct Bureau, insisting on public declaration of assets by governors, legislators and judges.
The university don, who currently serves as the Dean, College of Law of the institution, stated this while delivering the 8th inaugural lecture of the university.
The legal expert, in the paper titled “The just, justice and the judicial: A Jurisprudential journey in the judicial jungle,” a copy of which was obtained in Osogbo on Monday, called for an amendment of the CCB law to enable linking the Code of Conduct Bureau database to the Land Registry, Bank Verification Number, and Corporate Affairs Commission databases.
Describing the Code of Conduct Bureau as an under-resourced watchdog institution in the country’s justice sector, Olaniyan expressed concerns that many asset declarations are still processed manually, making cross-referencing with databases such as the Bank Verification Number and the National Identification Number difficult.
He also noted selective prosecutions by the Bureau, referencing the trial of ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the removal of ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, through the Code of Conduct Tribunal. According to him, these cases reflect how asset declaration laws can be weaponised politically rather than applied uniformly as an administrative safeguard.
He argued that secret asset declarations create conditions for concealed corruption, stressing that accountability in public service cannot be achieved through opaque filing systems. “Justice in the public sector cannot be effectively served behind closed filing cabinets,” he said.
Olaniyan therefore recommended that public declaration of assets should become the default rule for high-ranking officials. He further urged statutory access for civil society organisations and the media to inspect and publish declared assets of public office holders, including the President, governors, legislators and judges.
He added that integrating CCB records with national databases would improve transparency, enable real-time verification and strengthen anti-corruption enforcement. He maintained that Nigeria’s current asset declaration system is largely ineffective because it prioritises privacy over public accountability.
His remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of asset declaration practices, including a recent Code of Conduct Bureau inquiry involving the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, following allegations of undisclosed bank accounts.
Olaniyan insisted that reforms are necessary to ensure asset declaration becomes a verifiable and enforceable tool against corruption rather than a symbolic administrative requirement.
