The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), a non-governmental organisation, has vowed to ensure that the bill to ensure maximum protection for whistleblowers is passed into law as soon as possible.
The coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr Chido Onumah, stated this on Wednesday in Sokoto during a one-day town hall meeting on whistleblowing and whistleblower protection in Sokoto.
The theme of the meeting according to the coordinator is; Strengthening the Whistleblower Policy Implementation through Whistleblower Protection.
Onumah, represented by Ugwu Cordelia Nkechi, a senior programme officer, monitoring and evaluation in the organization, said his team is ready to work with other civil society partners and other stakeholders in the public sector to ensure the success of the bill.
He explained that the organization in the last six years have been implementing the Corruption Anonymous project designed to build confidence in and support for the whistleblowing policy as one of the strategies for fighting endemic corruption in the country.
“Over the years of implementation, we have had to engage the project on three fronts, including creating awareness on the importance of whistleblowing as a democratic accountability mechanism, collaborating with Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning which manages the policy.
“We are fully aware of the reality that among other incentives for whistleblowing, the most crucial is protection.
“There is no way people will be motivated to engage in whistleblowing if they know they will not be protected from victimisation for reporting wrongdoing.
“Not even the promise of reward for reports that lead to recovery of stolen public funds is as strong a motivation to blow the whistle as protection against retaliation ” he added.
In his remarks, the zonal head of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Aliyu Yunusa, explained that the protection of whistleblowers is pivotal for the success of the Nigerian whistleblowing policy.
He said, “By ensuring anonymity, safeguards and a supportive environment, the policy will encourage more individuals to come forward and explain corruption and other illicit activities.
“A robust protection framework will foster a culture of transparency, accountability, ultimately leading to a more just and equity society in Nigeria”
He however urged the general public to make use of the designed application of the agency through playstore on mobile phone to report any case of whistleblowing while assuring that the agency will continue to tackle any form of corruption in the society.
Speakers at the town hall meeting include; representatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), National Orientation Agency, Association of Civil Societies and Non governmental organizations among many others.
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