M
mrsam
Guest
To blow or not to blow the whistle; that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to think about the greater good to Nigeria or to focus solely on the rewards of pointing the EFCC or other agencies in the right direction.
If the only motivation is the later, then it is important to understand a bit more about the whistle-blower's policy.
Whistle blowing is being touted as the new way to make easy money in Nigeria. This latest anti-corruption tool, only recently launched by the Nigerian government, is presently considered the latest get rich scheme in town. Unlike other get-rich schemes, whistle blowing is a noble venture, as it entails helping Nigeria tackle its crippling corruption problem.
Everybody and their friends are currently on the lookout for seemingly looted funds. Some Nigerians may soon storm graveyards, as well as uncompleted and abandoned buildings with shovels and torchlights in search of funds that the Nigerian government claims are being buried.
Identifying and reporting corrupt behaviour is the key to the whistle blowing programme. “Corrupt” behaviour does not necessarily involve a policeman on the road demanding N100 or the government staff that wants ‘malt money’. For the Whistle-blower’s programme, one needs to find the primary corrupt behaviour. Example: Someone driving a 2017 Range Rover with a L-Sign on the front, a neighbour hauling in Ghana Must-Go bags into their apartment at night or that man who is still spraying dollars at weddings despite this recession. If you spot such behaviour, all you have to do is blow your whistle and wait for your share of the recovered funds after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC does its job.
The Whistle-blowers’ programme is made to seem like a simple ‘’open and close’’ process. Other than a percentage of the value of the looted funds, the whistle-blower stands to gain; most Nigerians know little else about the programme. Before you blow that whistle, there are a few things you should consider.
Benefits of whistle blowing:
1. When tips lead to the successful recovery of looted funds, whistle-blowers are entitled to between 2.5-5% of the amount recovered. Imagine blowing the whistle on $50 Million Dollars chilling in your neighbour’s old fridge.
2. Other than a fat bank account, you would have helped make your country a better place by participating in the whistle-blowers programme. Imagine a Nigeria without corruption.
Challenges of Whistle blowing:
1. The Whistle blowing programme is currently not backed by any law. The policy is in the process of being made into law, but nothing is official as yet, as it still has a few processes to go through.
2. Other than blowing the whistle, there are some key requirements that must be fulfilled before a whistle blower is deemed worthy of a reward. Some of the core conditions include:
4. The Nigerian government is promising whistle-blowers anonymity, but the Whistle blowing portal to expose illegal activity is very prone to hacking. The site lacks basic HTTPS encryption that protects Internet traffic from eavesdroppers.
Also Sahara Reporters recently spoke to the whistle blower responsible for the recovery of almost $50 million in an Ikoyi apartment. Although the whistle blower was not named in the media report, one is curious as to how the media house got access. The article also reveals that the whistle blower in that case is a security guard. Who will stop his employer from firing him?
Mr. Ntia Thompson, who raised the alarm that the sum of $229,000 and N800,000 had been diverted by key officials in the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was suspended and subsequently sacked.
As civilized as we seem, it is not unheard of for key witnesses in a trial to die mysteriously. It could be a robbery gone bad or a hit a run.
5. If the identity of a whistle blower is uncovered, there is no guarantee that such a person won’t get sued for defamation if the EFCC loses it case.
The Whistle blowing policy is a welcomed development, but certain parts of it need to be reviewed. The Government needs to work harder at protecting whistle blowers and securing convictions.
Article by Juliana Okon Morgan
If the only motivation is the later, then it is important to understand a bit more about the whistle-blower's policy.
Whistle blowing is being touted as the new way to make easy money in Nigeria. This latest anti-corruption tool, only recently launched by the Nigerian government, is presently considered the latest get rich scheme in town. Unlike other get-rich schemes, whistle blowing is a noble venture, as it entails helping Nigeria tackle its crippling corruption problem.
Everybody and their friends are currently on the lookout for seemingly looted funds. Some Nigerians may soon storm graveyards, as well as uncompleted and abandoned buildings with shovels and torchlights in search of funds that the Nigerian government claims are being buried.
Identifying and reporting corrupt behaviour is the key to the whistle blowing programme. “Corrupt” behaviour does not necessarily involve a policeman on the road demanding N100 or the government staff that wants ‘malt money’. For the Whistle-blower’s programme, one needs to find the primary corrupt behaviour. Example: Someone driving a 2017 Range Rover with a L-Sign on the front, a neighbour hauling in Ghana Must-Go bags into their apartment at night or that man who is still spraying dollars at weddings despite this recession. If you spot such behaviour, all you have to do is blow your whistle and wait for your share of the recovered funds after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC does its job.
The Whistle-blowers’ programme is made to seem like a simple ‘’open and close’’ process. Other than a percentage of the value of the looted funds, the whistle-blower stands to gain; most Nigerians know little else about the programme. Before you blow that whistle, there are a few things you should consider.
Benefits of whistle blowing:
1. When tips lead to the successful recovery of looted funds, whistle-blowers are entitled to between 2.5-5% of the amount recovered. Imagine blowing the whistle on $50 Million Dollars chilling in your neighbour’s old fridge.
2. Other than a fat bank account, you would have helped make your country a better place by participating in the whistle-blowers programme. Imagine a Nigeria without corruption.
Challenges of Whistle blowing:
1. The Whistle blowing programme is currently not backed by any law. The policy is in the process of being made into law, but nothing is official as yet, as it still has a few processes to go through.
2. Other than blowing the whistle, there are some key requirements that must be fulfilled before a whistle blower is deemed worthy of a reward. Some of the core conditions include:
- The Whistle-blower must provide the Government with information it does not already have
- The information provided must not be obtainable by the Government from any other public source
- Recovery must be on account of the information provided by the Whistle-blower.
4. The Nigerian government is promising whistle-blowers anonymity, but the Whistle blowing portal to expose illegal activity is very prone to hacking. The site lacks basic HTTPS encryption that protects Internet traffic from eavesdroppers.
Also Sahara Reporters recently spoke to the whistle blower responsible for the recovery of almost $50 million in an Ikoyi apartment. Although the whistle blower was not named in the media report, one is curious as to how the media house got access. The article also reveals that the whistle blower in that case is a security guard. Who will stop his employer from firing him?
Mr. Ntia Thompson, who raised the alarm that the sum of $229,000 and N800,000 had been diverted by key officials in the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was suspended and subsequently sacked.
As civilized as we seem, it is not unheard of for key witnesses in a trial to die mysteriously. It could be a robbery gone bad or a hit a run.
5. If the identity of a whistle blower is uncovered, there is no guarantee that such a person won’t get sued for defamation if the EFCC loses it case.
The Whistle blowing policy is a welcomed development, but certain parts of it need to be reviewed. The Government needs to work harder at protecting whistle blowers and securing convictions.
Article by Juliana Okon Morgan
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