ITUC-Africa, NLC pledge support for EFCC to fight corruption

The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have pledged support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its fight against corruption, illicit financial flows (IFFs) and kleptocracy.

The bodies made the commitment during separate engagements with the EFCC and the National Assembly, where they called for stronger institutional collaboration and comprehensive legislation to protect whistleblowers and workers who expose wrongdoing.

The engagements, supported by Solidarity Centre, formed part of a broader campaign by African workers and their allies against corruption, illicit financial flows and kleptocracy, which they said continued to deepen inequality, undermine workers’ rights and weaken development.

Speaking during the visit to the EFCC, ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, urged the commission to strengthen its partnership with the organised labour and civil society, particularly in protecting workers and whistleblowers from retaliation.

Odigie said ITUC-Africa and the organised labour were ready to support the EFCC’s anti-corruption efforts, noting that workers often had access to information that could assist investigations into financial crimes.

He said Africa’s underdevelopment is not primarily caused by a lack of resources or manpower, but by the diversion and poor management of its wealth.

Odigie, renewed the call for a comprehensive whistleblower protection law, arguing that Nigeria’s existing framework, which he described as largely based on executive policy, did not provide sufficient legal protection for citizens who expose corruption.

“No matter how strong a policy is, there needs to be a law to push that policy,” he said.

He also called for stronger legislation and oversight to close loopholes that facilitate corruption, stressing that the fight against graft would gain greater public ownership when it was “stripped of politics.”

Odigie said ITUC-Africa had for more than a decade campaigned against illicit financial flows, inequality and poverty across Africa, warning that tax evasion and diversion of public resources continued to weaken governments’ capacity to finance development.

Responding, EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, acknowledged that illicit financial flows remained a major challenge in Nigeria and other African countries.

Uwujaren said the EFCC had recorded significant recoveries and arrests in its fight against financial crimes, but could not succeed without the cooperation of other stakeholders, including organised labour.

He described whistleblowing as a critical tool in the fight against corruption, recalling that some of the commission’s major achievements in 2016 were facilitated by the whistleblowing policy.

He, however, said the momentum generated by the policy had declined and appealed to the NLC to intensify public enlightenment among workers on the dangers and consequences of corruption.

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Uwujaren expressed optimism that stronger collaboration with organised labour could help the commission regain some of the effectiveness associated with its earlier anti-corruption efforts.

Also speaking, NLC Spokesperson, Benson Upah, called for the revival of the cordial relationship previously existing between the labour centre and the EFCC, assuring the commission of organised labour’s readiness to support effective anti-corruption measures.

Upah, said workers had access to information that could assist the commission’s investigations and reduce the time and resources required to uncover financial crimes.

He said kleptocracy was depriving present and future generations of decent living conditions, while corruption was also undermining national security through the diversion of funds allocated to critical sectors.

Upah called for stronger institutional independence for the EFCC and urged the commission to resist political interference.

The delegation subsequently met with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Senator Diket Plang, where it renewed its demand for legislation to provide comprehensive protection for whistleblowers.

Odigie said whistleblowing should be treated as an important component of public accountability and democratic governance, rather than simply an individual act of exposing corruption.

“Our people should be able to report safely and securely. So the question is how do we look at the law to strengthen it and protect them?” he asked.

He urged lawmakers to ensure that whistleblowers were protected against victimisation, intimidation, dismissal, harassment and other forms of retaliation.

Odigie also called for stronger measures against kleptocracy, saying resources lost to corruption could instead be invested in job creation, public services, healthcare, education, social protection and infrastructure.

Responding, Plang assured the delegation that the Senate was willing to consider relevant legislation on whistleblower protection if the EFCC and other stakeholders considered it necessary.

He said the protection of workers and promotion of their rights remained central to the committee’s mandate, stressing that workers must be able to exercise their rights without intimidation.

Plang also commended organised labour for its continued engagement with the National Assembly, saying such interactions provided an opportunity for lawmakers to better understand issues affecting workers.

The delegation called for sustained cooperation among organised labour, anti-corruption agencies, lawmakers and civil society to create safe and credible channels for reporting corruption and strengthen the fight against kleptocracy, illicit financial flows and the shrinking civic space.