Segun Atanda/
A sum of N375.8 million has been given to 20 whistleblowers in Nigeria as reward for providing information that led to the recovery of over N11.6billion loot.
“This payment is the first under the Whistleblower Policy,” says the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, in a statement.
“The payment underscores the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to meet its obligations to information providers under the Whistleblower Policy, which is an essential tool in the fight against corruption,” she stated.
Identities of the beneficiaries were not disclosed.
The minister said that recent amendments to the Whistleblower Policy of the government included the introduction of a formal legal agreement between information providers and the Federal Government.
According to her, the agreement is executed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.
In line with the policy, each whistleblower would be entitled to a minimum of five per cent of the money involved in the corruption case reported.
The payment of the money would, however, be made after the successful recovery of the affected sum to government coffers, but false information will lead to prosecution and jail.
The minister said standard procedures had also been introduced to ensure the protection of the identities of information providers during the payment process.
Mrs. Adeosun explained that all payments were taxable and were only made upon confirmation of the final recovery of related assets, after confirmation by the Attorney-General of the Federation as being free of legal disputes.
The Minister also gave details of the Whistleblower Unit, a multi-agency team resident in the Ministry of Finance Headquarters.
The unit is staffed by personnel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), State Security Services (SSS), the Nigeria Police Force and Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), among others.
Adeosun added, “The Whistleblower Unit is the first line of response to whistleblower information, where the initial review is undertaken before cases are forwarded to the relevant investigative agencies.”
The Executive Council of the Federation approved the Whistleblowers Policy launched by the Minister of Finance in December 2016 to encourage members of the public volunteer credible information about corruption cases in the country.
The policy, which is part of the government’s anti-corruption campaign, has seen the government receiving about 2,150 communications and 337 tips through the Whistleblower Unit’s dedicated channels from various Nigerians.
The minister said that this had led to the recovery of substantial assets illegally acquired by individuals across the country.
Details of such asset recoveries are still not made public by the government.
Despite several demands by Nigerians, the government has continued to withhold the information, claiming most of the affected assets were still subjects of legal processes yet to be completed.
Adeosun noted that the primary purpose of the whistleblower policy was to support the fight against financial crimes and corruption, promote accountability and enhance transparency in the management of public finances.
She assured that the present administration would continue to encourage all Nigerians with information on misconduct, violation or improper activity, which could negatively impact on the country, to report to the appropriate authorities.
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