Nigeria whistle-blower policy was adopted in 2016 by the administration of All Progressive Congress (APC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It’s one of the measures adopted to recover looted funds by government officials and their collaborators.
The Buhari-led government has recovered N594.09 billion through the Nigeria whistle-blower policy since 2016, according to the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Muhammed Dikwa.
Dikwa at a workshop in Abuja stated that on Thursday, November 21, 2019 that the whistle-blower policy had come to stay in Nigeria.
He stated that Nigeria had joined other countries of the world to accept the policy as a global acceptable norm.
Aims of Nigeria whistle-blower policy
Some of them include:
- To fight corruption
- To fight any forms of financial crimes.
- To recover salaries from retired diplomats who were still being paid for almost two years to the tune of N192m.
- Help in reducing corruption in the public sector.
Challenges of Nigeria whistle-blower policy
- Lack of proper legal framework,
- Poor funding,
- Lack of coordination
- Lack of diverse information among relevant organisations.
Way forward:
Dikwa pointed out that the APC-led government is charting the way forward through the Whistle-blower and Witness Protection Bill 2019 in order policy effective and provide legal backing and administrative guide for the policy.
He urged participants to critically review the draft bill and make additional input before it could be sent to the National Assembly for parliamentary scrutiny.
