Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, and officials in the Ministries, Departments and Government Agencies, MDAs, have urged the Federal Government and other policy makers to ensure that all recoveries of looted funds and what they were used for are made public by publishing them on whistleblower portal/website.
The CSOs and other professionals who formed the participants at the Zonal Conference on Whistleblower Policy in Nigeria for the South-South Zone held at Ibom Hall Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital urged the Federal government to go beyond giving financial rewards to whistle blowers and offer them instant job placements, certificate of commendation as well as national honours.
These were contained in a communique issued at the end of the three day conference with the theme”Implementation of the Whistle Blower Policy in Nigeria:Issues, Challenges, and Way Forward.”
The participants called for adequate protection for whistle blowers in the country,and urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the whistle blower bill into law.
The communique reads in part, “The policy makers should ensure that the use to which recovered looted funds are put be made public; should incorporate other incentives for the Whistle Blower beyond the financial rewards, such as National Honours, Letter of commendations and automatic jobs;
that the Whistle Blower Policy should be reformed, redesigned and reframed to make it more effective;
“That the National Assembly should as a matter of urgency expedite action on the passage of the Whistle Blower Bill into law; that adequate protection should be provided for the Whistle Blowers and Witnesses in other to encourage more disclosures by the public. Special Courts should be established to handle corruption cases; and that the Whistle Blowing Policy should be extended to the organized private sector, banks, aviation and railway industries.”
The participant also recommended “that regular education and enlightenment of the general public on the Whistle Blower Policy should be replicated and intensified at the state and local government levels through both traditional and conventional information dissemination channels such as social media, prints, news media, jingles, road shows, village meetings or squares, market visits etc.
They, however, recommended that States should consider the creation of a Whistle Blowing Units in the respective states to handle Whistle Blowing issues and that the prosecution of corrupt individuals be concluded in time and made public”.
The participants, however, commended the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for organizing the Zonal Conference which they described as apt and timely.
They also commended the Akwa State Government in particular and the South-South States in general for their support in making the Conference a huge success.
