'Sign executive order to curb looting by politicians, civil servants' - Ndume to Tinubu

The lawmaker representing Borno South, Senator Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to sign an executive order on ‘unexplained wealth’ in order to curb looting by politicians and civil servants.

Ndume made this call in an interview on Channels Television.

The lawmaker’s comment comes in the wake of a comment by retired Supreme Court Justice Musa Muhammad Dattijo over the level of corruption in the country’s judiciary.

According to Ndume, there are laws in the UK and other parts of the world to tackle such issues.

The lawmaker, who noted that he attempted to introduce some bills in that regard, said, “I have tried several times but you know, there were excuses here and there.”

“I think the best way to get this across is when the bill comes from the executive, or in the interim, the current president should sign an executive bill on unexplained wealth,” he added.

According to Ndume, the level of unexplained wealth in the country, especially among politicians and civil servants, requires some laws to combat it.

Ndume said, “I know of civil servants that live in houses that not only their income, their salaries, or their life pension—assuming they would live in this world for 90 years or 100 years—cannot buy.”

“The same thing with some of our politicians, especially the politically exposed persons like ministers; you find, as you rightly said, some of them come to the National Assembly, and suddenly [there is so much money].”

Ndume, however, called on the public to hold politicians accountable.

He said, “Well, I will partially accept what you said,” Ndume said when asked if the lawmakers have failed to pass bills to curb the trend of unexplained wealth in the country.

“The public are those that are supposed to put us on our toes to represent them and account for our actions,” the senator added.