By Abdulmumini Basiru Sharifai U19MM2025
Upon assuming office in 2015, former President Muhammadu Buhari declared personal assets worth just $150,000, a symbolic move that reinforced his anti-corruption stance and commitment to transparency. Remarkably, by the end of his second term in 2023, no significant changes had been recorded in his declared assets, making him one of Nigeria’s least materialistically inclined presidents in recent history.
According to the Presidency, Buhari’s asset declaration in 2015 included five homes and two mud houses located in Kaduna, Daura, Kano, and Abuja. He also listed agricultural assets such as farms, an orchard, and a ranch housing 270 cows, 25 sheep, five horses, and various poultry birds. Additionally, his holdings comprised two undeveloped plots of land, shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank, and the defunct Skye Bank, along with a Union Bank account containing ₦30 million. The former military leader also disclosed ownership of two cars, which he claimed were purchased from personal savings, while other vehicles were government-issued or gifted.
Ahead of his second inauguration in 2019, Buhari submitted a new asset declaration form to the Code of Conduct Bureau, as required by the Nigerian Constitution. The submission, made on his behalf by Senior Special Assistant Sarki Abba and sworn before a judge of the Abuja High Court, showed no additions to his wealth. According to Presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, there were “no new houses, no new bank accounts at home or abroad, and no new shares acquired.”
I Left Office With Same Physical Assets I Had Before Becoming President – Buharihttps://t.co/74iBl0jkid pic.twitter.com/sk2e1V8VQH
— Channels Television (@channelstv) April 9, 2025
The chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Professor Mohammed Isa, commended Buhari for complying fully with the law and serving as a model for asset transparency in public service.
In contrast, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo declared assets valued at approximately $1.4 million, including multiple properties: a four-bedroom home, a three-bedroom flat, a two-bedroom
flat, and a mortgaged property in Bedford, United Kingdom. His declaration reflects a more extensive financial portfolio, likely stemming from his accomplished legal career and previous roles in public service, including serving as Lagos State Attorney General.
This tradition of public asset declaration was initiated by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who in 2007 declared a net worth of $5 million. While critics argue that transparency in asset reporting is still limited, Buhari's modest declarations remain a significant symbol in the larger conversation around leadership integrity in Nigeria.
As the public awaits full access to the verified documents submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, Buhari’s financial records continue to serve as a point of discussion in the broader fight against corruption in Nigeria’s public offices.
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