TUC wants ministerial nominees to publicly declare assets

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Thursday urged the National Assembly to ensure that all ministerial nominees declare their assets publicly before confirmation. In a statement jointly signed by its President, Boboi Kaigama and General Secretary, Musa Lawal, the TUC said that the declaration would be in the public interest. The labour union said that the public declaration of assests was necessary following “worrisome” allegations of fraud against some ex-ministers and officials. “ There is need to verify the financial and material status of each nominee before they are allowed to assume such high offices.” It said that time had come to allow only people with proven integrity to head government ministries. The TUC therefore urged the Senate to screen the nominees based on their integrity and past records irrespective of their status. The congress noted that many youths in the country have gotten into crime due to unemployment caused by corrupt leaders in the past. “It is sad how much shame politicians have brought upon this country. “There is rarely any month we do not hear news of Nigerian youths being executed in other parts of the world due to involvement in one crime or the other. “We will not be in this backward situation if the economy is doing well, if we had steady power and adequate infrastructure and if successive governments were interested in creating jobs for the army of unemployed youths,’’ it said. NAN