The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is preparing to roll out a digital asset and liability declaration system aimed at enhancing transparency, reducing bureaucratic delays, and strengthening anti-corruption measures in Nigeria’s public service, according to the agency’s Chairman, Abdullahi Bello.
Speaking at a validation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, Bello said the initiative is intended to replace the traditional paper-based system, which he described as “seldom analysed or used as tools against illicit enrichment.”
He added, “The old story must end. For too long, asset declaration has been seen as a bureaucratic ritual—forms hurriedly filled and forgotten, rarely analysed and rarely used as the powerful anti-corruption tool it was meant to be. This ends with the new ALDS.”
Bello explained that the platform will connect multiple national databases, including those of the Corporate Affairs Commission, land registries, and financial institutions, enabling real-time verification of public officers’ assets.
He added that the system will automatically flag undeclared companies, properties, and income streams, reducing dependence on manual reporting.
“By integrating with available databases, we will be able to discover assets in real time. You won’t need to tell us every property or company you own. The system will show it,” he said.
The chairman further noted that the Bureau plans to implement a graded service fee for political office holders and senior public servants to ensure sustainability, while junior staff or those unable to pay would receive waivers.
“We want an honest fee that is graded, with waivers for low-level public servants. We want to free ourselves from the burden of budget dependency,” he said.
Bello highlighted that the reform builds on the work of the CCB’s Forensic Accounting Unit, which currently analyses asset declarations submitted by former public officers.
He said the digital system will enhance the Bureau’s ability to monitor and enforce compliance with Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.
Senator Neda Imasuen, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, praised the Bureau’s progress, particularly the introduction of a sustainable funding model.
Imasuen noted that the agency has struggled for years to fund basic administrative processes, such as printing paper declaration forms.
“I have always wondered why CCB wakes up in the morning and looks for funds all over the place to print forms so you and I can fill them out for free. It’s time we depart from this. We can pay a nominal amount for the form you’re coming to fill so the Bureau does not keep begging for funds to do what it ought to be doing,” he said.
The CCB has historically relied on a paper-based system that has faced criticism for inefficiency, vulnerability to abuse, and limited capacity for data analysis. Bello confirmed that the digital platform will become fully operational after validation, review, and stakeholder harmonisation.
He emphasized that the initiative marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen accountability in public office.
“Will Nigeria finally have a world-class, corruption-resistant asset declaration system that serves both public servants and the Nigerian people? My answer, and I believe yours, is a resounding YES,” he stated.
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