FG Recovers Over N700bn From Whistle Blower Policy 

The Federal Government has recovered over N700bn through the implementation of the Whistle Blower Policy.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed said this on Tuesday in Abuja during a chat with journalists at the national conference on the Whistle Blower policy in Nigeria.

The Whistle Blower Policy which was launched in December 2016, was aimed at addressing the issues of corruption in the management of government resources

Ahmed said the government was able to recover this huge amount of money from the activities of Whistle Blowers who came forward with actionable claims of corrupt practices.

She said some of these recoveries were made during the cleaning of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System; stoppage of non-compliance with the Treasury Single Account and violations of the procurement Act 2007 among others

The Finance Minister said at inception of the policy, there was widespread enthusiasm as Nigerians volunteered numerous actionable information.

Such information or tips, she noted, were referred for further investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission;Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Department of State Service. 

 
However, she lamented that after sometime, interest in the implementation of the policy nosedived.

She added, “Our attempt to re-awaken public interest on the policy did not quite materialize. It was then we realized that there was apparent confusion in the public mind on several issues.”

To address these issues, she said a Committee with representatives from anti-graft and security agencies chaired by a representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice was set up to draft a Whistle Blower Bill.

The Committee was set up taking into account all the complaints received from the public and the observations of the various stakeholders.

 
Also speaking at the event, Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo said the Whistle Blower Policy was developed as a tool to expose corruption and corrupt actors in government.

He said, “The Whistle Blower Policy presents a unique opportunity for men and women of conscience who are appalled by the level of corruption in the society and are looking for safe avenues to expose the perpetrators of such corrupt activities to do so in a way that their identities are protected and their positions in their places of work are secured.”

The Vice President urged the developers of the new Whistle Blower bill to expand the scope of wrongful acts that may be reported by Whistle Blowers

According to the Vice President, “It appears that under the current policy whistle blowing is only with respect to acts of corruption.

“However there are a whole range of issues that may not endanger public finance directly but may constitute public safety or security risk.
 

“As a violation of law, gross mismanagement, waste of public resources, or acts inimical to public health or safety should be included in the scope of activities that Whistle Blowers can report to the authorities.

“The law should also provide for comprehensive protection of Whistle Blowers, including  against reprisals from their employers and those whose activities they expose.

“These may include witness protection type provisions should the whistleblower have to appear in court.”

 
The VP said the ability of government to deliver on promises in the areas of human capital development, provision of quality infrastructure and the general economic progress of the country depends significantly on the protection of the scarce resources from being looted and its application for the benefit of Nigerian citizens.

 
He also said the policy should operate widely in States and Local Governments as they are more closer to the people and oversees about half of the nation’s revenues.

 
Osinbajo said government’s goal is to harness the huge potential of the people to deliver on their moral obligation to report cases of corruption within their immediate environments.

 
The new whistle blower policy, he insisted, would energize the people to guard their resources through increased exposure of financial and related crimes.

 
Osinbajo told the gathering that certainty and clarity of the reporting processes and adequate protection of the Whistle Blowers would improve confidence in the initiative.

Similarly, he said enhanced transparency and accountability in the implementation of the policy will result in more discoveries and recoveries.