Stakeholders in the whistleblower and anti-corruption ecosystem have been urged to include states of the federation in all whistleblowing and whistleblower protection endeavours. Prince Azor, President of the International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC), raised the concern at the National Conference on Whistleblowing, Corruption, and Human Rights held on 19 September 2024 in Abuja.
The conference, organized by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in collaboration with Amnesty International Nigeria, brought together stakeholders from civil society, anti-corruption agencies, and whistleblowers to discuss the crucial role whistleblowing plays in combating corruption and promoting human rights in Nigeria.
Azor, while contributing to the theme of the conference, “Amplifying Whistleblowing to Reduce Corruption and Protect Human Rights,” noted that whistleblowers in the states often have to travel to Abuja to reveal important information to anti-corruption agencies. He urged stakeholders in the whistleblower and anti-corruption ecosystem to ensure that their efforts, including advocacy for the passage of a Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection Law, carried along the subnational units of the country.
Earlier at the event, the Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr Chido Onumah, in his opening remarks emphasized the crucial role whistleblowing plays in combating corruption and promoting human rights in Nigeria. He said, “Corruption is a crime that undermines growth and development of society. For us as a nation, it has resulted in stifled economic growth, reduced economic efficiency, depleted national image, loss of much-needed revenue, and increased poverty and human rights violations.”
According to Dr Onumah, in combating corruption, “whistleblowing has been described as one of the most effective methods of exposing corrupt acts and other wrongdoing and fostering accountability in the internal management of organisations.” He also noted that “whistleblowers play a positive, legitimate and crucial role in the prevention of and in the fight against corruption and the protection of human rights.”
Dr Onumah further pointed out that over the years, whistleblowers have “uncovered and disclosed information on various corrupt and suspicious dealings linked to different actors and institutions, including security sector officials, those in the academic community, and several others in key sectors and communities, leading to wider public debates about corruption, human rights violations and the need for accountability.”
He said whistleblowers in different government agencies had increasingly become targets of vicious retaliation in the absence of a protection law, despite provisions for their safety as captured in Section 6 of the National Whistleblowing Policy, and noted that the absence of robust legal protection had resulted in a decline in the number of whistleblowers willing to make disclosures..
While wishing the conference participants fruitful deliberations, Dr Onumah also expressed gratitude to AFRICMIL partners, including Amnesty International Nigeria. He equally acknowledged the support of organizations such as the Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and Whistleblowers International Network (WIN).
Meanwhile, in his presentation, the keynote speaker at the conference, Maxwell Kadiri, Senior Legal Officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), pointed out that “whistleblowers are essential in the fight against corruption, and their protection is crucial to ensure their safety and effectiveness.” Kadiri further noted that “whistleblowers are entitled to protection under various international and regional human rights instruments.” He said, “The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) recognizes the importance of whistleblower protection in the fight against corruption.”
Declaring that Nigeria was a signatory to, and had adopted various international instruments that support whistleblower protection, Kadiri further cited the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the International Labour Organization Convention. Moreover, the keynote speaker mentioned that domestically, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011, the National Whistleblowing Policy (2016), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Act were all instruments that recognized the need to protect whistleblowers.
In recommending a way forward, Kadiri said that essential elements of an adequate whistleblower protection law would cater to confidentiality and anonymity; protection from retaliation and victimization; access to independent investigative bodies; and the right to compensation and remedies. Kadiri also urged the government, in particular, to ensure the passage of a comprehensive whistleblower protection law, the establishment of an independent investigative body, while encouraging the private sector to participate in whistleblower protection.
Also worthy of note, Johnson Oludare, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Finance’s Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), stated that a draft of the whistleblower protection bill had been forwarded to the President for onward transmission to the National Assembly for the second time. Oludare said that the President was on the verge of sending the bill to the 10th National Assembly. He urged civil society organizations to actively engage with lawmakers to ensure the bill’s swift passage. He further noted that AFRICMIL’s partnership with PICA highlights their collaborative efforts to promote whistleblower protection and combat corruption in Nigeria.
Deliberations at the conference were further enriched by goodwill messages from various organizations active in the fight against corruption.
In her goodwill message, Barbara Shitnaan Magaji, Programme Manager of Amnesty International Nigeria thanked AFRICMIL and partners for their tireless effort in promoting whistleblowing, whistleblower protection, and human rights. She said it was important to contextualize human rights, especially in the context of whistleblowing and whistleblower protection. Magaji noted that the conference was part of the advocacy to push for the whistleblower protection law.
On his part, Emmanuel Shall, a representative from PPLAAF said their work is centred on protecting whistleblowers. He also said AFRICMIL has been a significant partner and has done well in pushing for the establishment of the whistleblower law.
Ekenma Okezie, a Principal State Counsel at the Code of Conduct Bureau, said the need to protect whistleblowers cannot be overemphasized. She therefore called for collaboration from all stakeholders to help those who have critical information for anti-corruption agencies to come forward as that will go a long way in curbing corruption.
Meanwhile, Oke Epia, Executive Director of OrderPaper, encouraged everyone at the conference to keep the fire burning as he hoped with time, the corruption level will be minimal.
In his goodwill message, Dauda Garuba, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development said investing in the struggle for democracy is the only way to bring about development. therefore advised all stakeholders to be dedicated to the push for the enactment of a whistleblower protection law.
At the conference, whistleblowers who had faced victimisation also shared their experiences. Ameh Joseph Eche, a chartered architect and former Head of Physical Planning Division of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Delta State, narrated how his appointment was terminated for exposing fraud and other illegal practices endangering the lives of staff and students, as well as visitors to the college.
In the same vein, Mr Yisa Usman, a Deputy Director and the Kaduna State Coordinator of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), also narrated how he was dismissed from service in July 2023 for blowing the whistle on illegal movements of funds at the board.
Usman told the conference the ordeal had taken a serious toll on his mental health and that he had taken the matter to court to seek redress for wrongful dismissal. He urged stakeholders to look into his case and heed his cry for help, as he was victimised for simply doing the right thing.
