The federal government said on
Wednesday it had released about N375.8 million for payment of 20 whistleblowers
who provided information that led to the recovery over N11.6 billion.
The Ministry of Finance, which
confirmed the release in a statement, said the payments were the first under
the Whistleblower Policy.
The government did not disclose
the identities of the beneficiaries, apparently for security reasons.
“This payment is the first under the Whistleblower Policy,” the Minister for Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said in the statement.
“The payment underscores the commitment of the President Muhmmadu Buhari-led administration to meet its obligations to information providers under the Whistleblower Policy, which is an essential tool in the fight against corruption.”
The minister said recent
amendments to the Whistleblower Policy of the government include the
introduction of a formal legal agreement between information providers and the
Federal Government.
The agreement is executed by the
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, she said.
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, while informants whose info provide false hint, risk 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.
“The Whistleblower Unit is the first line of response to whistleblower information, where initial review is undertaken before cases are forwarded to the relevant investigative agencies,” Mrs. Adeosun said.
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 this has 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 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.
Mrs. Adeosun said 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 authority.
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