Buhari declares wealth, showing 'austere' living

Abuja — The wealth declaration of Muhammadu
Buhari shows he has been living "an austere and
Spartan lifestyle," with $150,000 in his personal
account, contrary to what many might expect of one
who has held a number of top government

positions, an official said Thursday.
In the declaration, President Muhammadu Buhari
stated that he had shares in Berger Paints, Union
Bank and Skye Bank, said Garba Shehu, a senior
special assistant in charge of media and publicity for
the president in a statement. He did not reveal the
value of the shares.
Buhari has vowed to stamp out corruption, which is
endemic in Africa's biggest economy. Buhari last
month put the amount of money missing from
state coffers at a staggering $150 billion.
Shehu's statement also did not give values of all the
assets held by the president and vice president
saying the documents submitted to the Code of
Conduct Bureau of will be made public as soon
vetting is completed.
Buhari has a total of five homes and two mud
houses in Daura (Katsina state), Shehu said. In
addition to the homes, he has farms, an orchard
and a ranch with 270 heads of cattle, 25 sheep, five
horses and a variety of birds, he said.
President Buhari also has two undeveloped plots of
land, one in Kano state and the other in Port
Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state, Shehu said.
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The statement was vague on the number of cars the
president owns, saying two were bought from his
savings, others supplied to him by the federal
government in his capacity as former head of state
and the rest donated to him by well-wishers after
his jeep was damaged in bomb attack by Islamic
extremists on his convoy in July 2014.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's asset declaration
shows he has $900,000 in bank accounts, a four-
bedroom residence, a three-bedroom flat, a two-
bedroom flat and a two-bedroom mortgaged
property in Bedford, England, the statement said,
adding that the vice president also has shareholding
in six private companies based in Lagos and three
cars.
Analysts praised the move by the officials to
declare their wealth.
"The declaration represents a step in the right
direction as per international standards and best
practices," said Sylvester Atere, of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Nigeria.
"Hence, it helps to build confidence and public
trust."
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who lost to
Buhari in the March 28 polls, declined to declare his
wealth as president though he had done so as vice
president during the regime of the late Umaru
Yar'Adua —the first leader to declare his assets
when taking office.
- AP