Whistle Blowers Bill vital in war against corruption ―Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara on Tuesday said that Bill for protection of whistle blowers was a vital tool against the war against corruption in Nigeria.

The Speaker who stated this while delivering his remarks at a workshop organised for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes and members of the civil society on the Whistle Blowers Bill in the National Assembly.

The bill, he said, when passed into law  would greatly enhance disclosure of information on corrupt persons, stressing that, it would also make it easy to uncover private collaborators who connive with corrupt public servants and provide adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making such complaints.

He added that it was important to note that Nigeria did not currently have a law that would protects whistle blowers, rather “what we have is the Federal Ministry of Finance’s whistle blowing programme which is designed to encourage anyone with information about a violation of financial regulations to report,” which has not yet been backed by any legal framework, and therefore, not legally enforceable.

He also noted that the burden of corruption in Nigeria was a peculiar one that have been inhibiting the nation’s economic and social development and added that in order to fight this scourge and ensure a just and egalitarian society, the relationship between increased availability of information in the public domain, accountability and protection of person who expose alleged wrongdoing cannot be overemphasized.

According to him, “Disclosure of information for increased transparency is a necessary condition for accountability. The enactment of Whistle Blowers Protection law as a vehicle for the investigation of alleged corruption and misuse of power by public servants or their private collaborators and to provide adequate safeguards against victimization of the person making such complaint is therefore, an essential element of the war against corruption.”

Dogara added that the consequences of corruption were greater than just the diversion of public resources to private gain as it destroyed societies and contributed to trust deficit and lack of confidence in governance, threatens sustainable economic development, ethical values and justice; destabilises the society and endangers the rule of law.

He expressed concern that the poor and vulnerable in the society suffered the harmful effect of corruption more grievously because “they do not get to enjoy democratic dividends”.

He gave further assurance that the House of Representatives would continue to work towards enacting a robust legal framework on the Whistle Blower’s policy which would l no doubt enhanced quick and seamless recovery, forfeiture, and confiscation of property in respect of anti-corruption offences.

He further expressed hope that the Whistle Blowers Bill would see the light of day through its passage into law “to break the jinx that has bedevilled this piece of proposed legislation since it was first introduced into the National Assembly in 2008.”

Speaking earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Honourable Kayode Oladele said that, “This workshop is expected to promote and protect the criticality of coordination between members of the House committee and CSOs in combating financial crimes in public life; refresh the knowledge of participants on the contents, ramifications and implications of the whistle blower’s bill on the fight against corruption in Nigeria when passed into law.”