By Doyin Ojosipe
Nigerians can now report corrupt practices anonymously, using the Corruption Anonymous (CORA) whistleblowing reporting portal https://www.partnersunited.org/whistleblowing
The portal, which is the first comprehensive civil society-driven whistleblowing platform, is the brainchild of the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) and Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation (SMYF).
As a scale-up of the whistleblowing policy initiative, AFRICMIL, through its Corruption Anonymous (CORA) project, collaborated with Yar’Adua Foundation to develop a whistleblowing reporting portal hosted on the Partners United platform, a knowledge exchange site managed by the Yar’Adua Foundation. Built in response to the issue of confidentiality, the portal allows users submit tips without exposing their identity.
Speaking at the launch of the portal in Abuja, Dr Chido Onumah, AFRICMIL Coordinator, said the CORA whistleblowing reporting platform, would serve as an invaluable tool that would fill the gap in the disclosure channels which have made fighting corruption through whistleblowing a challenging exercise for citizens.
“The CORA platform will complement government’s whistleblowing platform managed by PICA and make it much easier for citizens to submit tips anonymously, without fear of being exposed and confident that the tips will be treated,” he added.
Urging Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the CORA reporting channel, Onumah stated that every citizen has a moral and legal duty to expose corruption and that the anti-graft war can not be won by government alone.
Commending AFRICMIL, Dr Amina Salihu, Program Manager of the On-Nigeria project, MacArthur Foundation (MAF), who represented the MAF Africa Director, Dr Kole Shettima, said the initiative to introduce the use of technology in the fight against corruption was a laudable one. Stating that Nigeria belongs to all, she noted that the culture of corruption was the culture of waste where corrupt individuals seem to find it tasking to separate needs from wants, thereby pilfering national resources.
In the same vein, Shehu Aliyu, Permanent Secretary, Finance and Special Duties who delivered the special remarks on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, charged Nigerians to be proactive and patriotic by blowing the whistle while also becoming change agents who will drive Nigeria to the path of glory.
In his special remarks, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), represented by Anne Ode, ICPC Board member, commended AFRICMIL and Yar’adua Foundation for the initiative and also advised that continuous public enlightenment on how to use the platform was necessary to ensure sustainability and avoid false and mischievous complaints and or reports.
Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, represented by Special Assistant to the President on Financial Crimes, Abiodun Aikomo, said citizens need to own the anti-graft war as critical stakeholders and partners in governance.
He also advised government at all levels to show similar commitment by introducing the whistleblowing policy in respective states, adding that the anti-corruption fight could not be done by the Federal Government alone.
In his goodwill message, the Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Garba Abari, who was represented by Paul Udenyi, Assistant Director, Press, said the agency was ready to collaborate with AFRICMIL in expanding the scope of the whistleblowing platform to address the issue of vote buying as part of sanitizing the electoral process in the country.
On his part, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa who was represented by EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, commended both AFRICMIL and Yar’Adua Foundation and added that the commission had also built a reporting app called ‘eagle eye’ to enable Nigerians participate in the anti-corruption fight freely while considering their safety.
The well-attended event was rounded off with a panel discussion on practical approaches and best practices for incentivizing whistleblowing in Nigeria. Featuring as discussants were Oke Epia, Executive Director, OrderPaper; Johnson Oludare, Assistant Director, Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA); Azuka Ogugua, Spokesperson, ICPC; and a representative of EFCC Academy.
