The Area Controller of the Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Tenny Daniyan has urged the officers of the Command to declare their assets and comply with the state code of conduct in order to maintain a standard value in the service.
He made this charge during the sensitization on self-service system for asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Bureau at the Command, on 3rd July, 2025.
In his address, he said the rationale behind the program is to enlighten the officers of the command on the importance and procedures of asset declaration and it’s aim which is promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity within the public service.
Daniyan added that by providing detailed guidance on the correct way to declare assets, the CCB ensures that all officers understand their responsibilities in upholding ethical standards and complying with constitutional requirements.
Through the sensitization, officers will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to complete and submit their asset declaration forms accurately and in a timely manner.
He added that the session will also provide an opportunity to clarify common misconceptions, address specific questions, and reinforce the legal implications of non-compliance.
The Lagos State Director of CCB, Mrs. Kafayat Popoola said the Bureau is the pioneer anti-corruption agency in Nigeria which was established by the federal government as enshrined in Section 153 of the 1999 constitution.According to her, the Bureau has the mandate to establish and maintain a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business, and to ensure that actions and behavior of public officers conforms with the highest standard of public morality and accountability.
She added that, declaration of assets are received every four years during service and during retirement from public service and any officer who flouts the law will have to report to the Court of Honor Tribunal for litigation.
Mrs. Popoola said the Code of Public Officers is the set of moral principles or rules of behaviour that are generally accepted by society and that by implication , public officers must follow suit.She noted that assets can be declared online directly and submitted immediately.
While reading out the code to the officers, she said ” public officers should ensure to take the public interest to heart and should not occupy more than one public office at a point in time, drawing salaries from both sides.Certain categories of public officers, starting from the President, the Vice-President, the Governor of the State and their deputies, the Ministers, Commissioners of the State Government, members of national and state committees, and any other category of public officers as national assets may be described, are barred from running foreign accounts while in public office.
“Public officers that retire after retirement from public service and while drawing pensions from public funds are not allowed to be engaged in full-time employment in more than one full-time employment with the government-owned entities.A public officer who retires as the president of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the vice president, the governor of state, the deputy governor, the chief justice of Nigeria is prohibited to serve in the employment of any foreign government.
“In the course of carrying out official duties and responsibilities, officers are not supposed to ask for any form of gratification for carrying out official duties. No officer should take loans from any other source, apart from government or non-financial institutions. No public officer should receive any proceeds, gifts, or benefits of any kind as an inducement or bribery for the discharge of the duty . Don’t abuse your office to the detriment of the rights of others. The public officer should not belong to any society.
“Under the provisions of the constitution, every public officer shall, within three months, after coming into force of this code, or immediately after taking office, declare their assets, that of their spouse, who is not a public officer, and children under the age of eighteen, to the code of conduct of the law.
“The consequence of violation or breach of the code is that you can be barred, your salary can be withheld for not declaring your assets. If a public officer sends anybody to nominate somebody on his or her behalf, by proxy, it still amounts to the fact that the public officer is the one that commits that crime.
