The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), on Wednesday says it is criminal for public officers to declare anticipated assets.

Mr Daniel Okafor, the CCB Director in Anambra, made the declaration in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

“Declaring an asset ahead of its materialization while assuming office is a crime punishable by law and must be avoided,” he said.

According to him, the bureau usually forward such breaches to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution.

“When assuming any public office, an elected or appointed official should declare only assets he or she has as at that time of the declaration,” he explained.

Okafor commended Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra for making it compulsory for all elected and appointed officials in the state service to declare their assets before assuming office.

“Gov. Willie Obiano did not take over the leadership of the state until he declared his assets, because he knows the importance.

“In doing that, he threw a challenge to others, who promptly complied and made our work less stressful.

“So far, we have not had any problem with anyone’s documents because the officials did the needful by being honest in declaring all they had,” he said.

The director solicited for necessary logistics to fast track the verification of claims by public officers in their assets declaration forms.

“We also need support to conduct seminars to sensitise people on our activities,” he said. (NAN)