The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has called for more functional and effective ways of strengthening the whistle blowing policy of the government in order to solidify the fight against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
He made the call in Abuja on Thursday, July 11, 2024 while delivering a paper at the Inter-Agency Task Team, IATT, on “Impact of the whistle blowing policy on public sector accountability and transparency”.
He noted that, though the policy, at its launch in 2016, received massive public acclaim resulting in considerable recoveries made by the EFCC, the momentum is no longer the same necessitating reviews, modifications and refocusing.
To step up the impact of the whistle blowing policy, the EFCC boss pointed at perceived weaknesses in the policy which should be addressed. One of these, he said, is the need for adequate protection for whistleblowers to shield them from persecution or punishment.
According to him, “the starting point is to emplace a legal framework for whistleblowing including a whistleblower protection law…. whistleblower protection should be broadened to include protection for insiders in various organs of government who expose wrongdoings from within”
Additionally, he stressed that the channels for reporting and procedures for the determination and payment of incentives should be streamlined. Added to this is the need for “clear cut guidelines on reporting channels, including determining agencies to receive the whistle blower information”.
He charged Nigerians to look away from the pecuniary benefits of the policy, stressing that incentives should not be the driving force of the policy.
“A sustainable whistleblower programme should be anchored on a moral foundation in which citizens provide information as a matter of patriotic duty, not propelled by a desire for reward. Whistleblowing should be organic, not driven by pecuniary considerations “, he said.
More importantly, Olukoyede stated that whistleblowing should not be reactionary.
“We should be more interested in whistleblowing that prevents the stealing of public funds rather than the recovery of funds. Once funds are looted, the entire loot may never be recovered”, he said.
In a Keynote Address, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN said that the fight against corruption was gaining more traction across borders, advocating that whistleblowers should be protected by the government at all costs.
“The present administration is committed to the fight against corruption and the government is putting up mechanisms to block loopholes in MDAs to ensure that graft is prevented”, he said.
He labeled corruption as a cankerworm especially in the public service and commended the organizer of the programme for coming up with workable suggestions and strategies capable of enhancing the anti-graft war. He promised to work closely with all agencies to ensure that corruption is tackled frontally by the government.
Earlier, while giving his Goodwill Message, the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, Adeniran Adeyemi talking about “Third National Corruption Survey in Nigeria ” said that corruption has been a big problem in the nation, hence there should be an encouragement for whistleblowers and a legal framework to protect them.
However, he said that Nigeria has continued to lead in the best international best practices using periodic and scientific assessment in anti-corruption efforts.
“Nigeria has recorded positive improvement, in 2023, the result shows that about 70% of citizens that have been asked to take bribes refused to do so which shows that efforts are really working. The survey also shows the willingness of Nigerians to confront corruption. The report further indicated the number of actions taken as a result of reporting, for instance, out of the total numbers of cases reported by citizens, a formal procedure was taken and 45% cases were initiated against officers which is an increase from 25% in 2019” he said.
The Country Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, UNODC, Danilo Campisi said that Nigeria has demonstrated commitment in the fight against corruption. He commended the government for the considerable implementation of anti-corruption processes and stressed the need to prioritize prevention and encourage behavioral changes among Nigerians especially the youths. He clearly pointed out that the best way to protect whistleblowers is through confidentiality of information.
