The Federal government has continued in its stride in the fight against corruption with its one-day nationwide sensitization programme on the implementation of the Whistleblowing Policy in Nigeria.
The programme, coordinated by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) of the Federal Ministry of Finance, drew stakeholders and participants from different walks of life, to evaluate the progress, identify challenges, and chart a sustainable path toward transparency and accountability in governance.
Dr. (Mrs.) Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance, who was represented by the Director PICA, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Musa II while delivering the welcome address, said “the sensitization programme was focused on the revenue-generating agencies and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), because these institutions are at the heart of public finance and resource mobilization.
According to Uzoka-Anite, “when the Federal Government of Nigeria introduced the Whistleblowing Policy in December 2016, the goal was to strengthen transparency, deepen accountability, and return stolen public funds to the rightful owners—the Nigerian people.
“The policy, under the custodianship of the Federal Ministry of Finance, has since recorded commendable successes. Through tips and information provided by patriotic Nigerians, billions of Naira in stolen and misappropriated funds have been recovered into government coffers”
Delivering a paper on “the Protection of Whistle Blowers: The role of security Agencies” on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, the Imo state Police Commissioner, CP Aboki Danjuma commended Nigerians and their efforts to fight corruption and encouraged them to key into the Federal Governments whistle blowing policy, noting that there were measures put in place for adequate security and protection of their identities.
While the whistleblowing policy has recorded some huge successes, there have been challenges ranging from the lack of a dedicated whistleblower protection law and the lack of legal protection which has led to a decline in the number of whistleblowers coming forward, despite the potential rewards.
Mr Johnson Oludare, Head, Whistleblowing unit while speaking about the “Journey sor far with the whistleblowing policy” acknowledged the fact that Many citizens remained skeptical about the protection of whistleblowers who often fear victimization, job loss, or social isolation, also reiterated that there are water-tight measures in place to protect whistleblowers who provide the right information.
Oludare noted a few conditions for whistleblowing to include substantial evidence, anonymity, secure reporting systems amongst other conditions and advised citizens to avoid raising a false alarm when providing leads in whistleblowing.
The Imo State Commissioner for Finance and Coordinating Economy, Mr. Chuck Chukwuemeka who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Augustina Ndubeze commended the federal government for the whistleblowing policy and the success it has recorded so far since its launch in 2016, Ndubueze extolled the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma for adopting prudence in financial dealings in Imo State adding that the state government fully supports the whistleblowers policy while maintaining that If governments work together, the dividends of integrity and accountability are enormous.
The Chief Operating Officer, Law enforcement Support and Coordination Sector, Dr. Biola Shotunde whose paper dwelt on Nigeria’s rating in the Corruption Index vis-à-vis the role of whistleblowing policy acknowledged that the CPI which is developed and published annually by Transparency International (TI), a leading global civil society organization in the fight against Corruption, does not measure actual instances of corruption, but the perceived level of corruption within the public sector, noting that perceptions are drawn from the views of experts, business executives, and governance analysts based on their experience and research data.
Dr. Shotunde recognized Nigeria’s improvement from 145th in 2023 to 140th in 2024, and a score increase from 25 to 26, signaling a positive but marginal shift in perception.
She said this progress reflects incremental policy actions and indicates that while Nigeria is taking steps in the right direction, systemic corruption risks remaining embedded in governance and institutional frameworks.
On the way forward, Dr. Shotunde amongst other things, called for a Whistleblower Protection Law to ensure legal backing and confidentiality. She also adviced on the need to Strengthen inter-agency coordination between NFIU, EFCC, ICPC, and others.
The event with the theme, Assessment of Whistleblowing policy implementation in Nigeria: The Journey So Far took place at the Rockview Hotel, Owerri and had in attendance, officials from the Imo state Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the Nigeria Police, Immigration, Man-O-war, the NYSC and students from Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), the Imo State University, (IMSU) Owerri, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, the Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education and other tertiary institutions.
Other dignitaries who attended the occasion included the Director General of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation, Chief Ify Onyegbule, the Comptroller General of Immigration Mr. Ebegbunam, sector commander of the FRSC, Imo State command Mr Udensi Orji, Superintendent, Correctional Services, Mr Mitchell Amadi and Ms. Ngozi Ejiaku who represented the Head of Service.
