By Oso Abidemi
President Bola Tinubu has approved an increase in the budget of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), from about ₦3 billion to nearly ₦20 billion to strengthen the nation’s anti-corruption framework.
CCB Chairman, Abubakar Bello, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja, saying the funding would modernise the bureau’s asset declaration system, enhance verification, and improve enforcement capacity.
Bello said asset declaration has largely been manual, relying on scarce and costly paper forms, noting that the 2025 budget provided only about ₦70 million for printing forms for over 4.5 million public servants nationwide.
He revealed that the bureau is developing a fully online asset declaration platform expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2026.
The platform will be linked to key databases, including the Corporate Affairs Commission, FIRS, BVN system and land registries, with artificial intelligence deployed to flag unexplained wealth.
Bello added that verification exercises have already led to interim forfeiture orders, warning public servants to comply with the bureau’s “Declare or Forfeit” directive.
