ICPC urges N’Assembly to okay whistleblower protection bill

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) has called on the National Assembly to pass the Whistleblower Protection Policy Bill to bolster the fight against corruption in the country.

In 2022, the Federal Government approved a new Whistle-blower draft bill, expressing concern that the existing whistle-blowing policy, initiated on December 21, 2016, was losing effectiveness.

A statement issued on Friday by ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said Aliyu called for a law that would protect whistleblowers and embolden them to give information needed to combat corruption in the country.

The statement read, “The ICPC chairman and other Key stakeholders in Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts have called on the National Assembly to pass the Whistleblower Protection Policy Bill to enhance the country’s fight against corruption.

He highlighted the pivotal role of whistleblowers in anti-corruption efforts and the necessity of proper frameworks to ensure their protection, saying “We need a robust Act of the National Assembly to protect those risking their lives to disclose issues about corruption in our country.”

According to the statement, the ICPC boss also emphasised the importance of synergy among various anti-corruption agencies to build public confidence in reporting corruption.

Similarly, the Head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption, Jane Onwumere, noted that this year’s Africa Union Day theme was informed by the findings from the review of the member-countries’ implementation of the convention.

The review, according to her, showed that inadequate whistle-blowing systems and mechanisms were major challenges in the fight against corruption and stressed the importance of guaranteeing adequate protection for whistleblowers to report corruption without fear of retaliation.

Activities of the event included the launch of the Third National Corruption Survey, a collaborative effort of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the MacArthur Foundation. The survey provides critical statistical data on the quality and integrity of public services in Nigeria.

According to the Statistician-General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, previous surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2019, and they had positioned Nigeria as a leader in establishing international best practices for periodically and scientifically assessing anti-corruption efforts.

Adeniran said, “The survey is a vital tool for evidence-based policymaking, enabling comprehensive analysis of corruption trends and the effectiveness of anti-corruption strategies.”