The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on Nigeria’s National Assembly of Nigeria to enact stronger legislation that will protect whistleblowers and strengthen transparency in the fight against corruption.
He made the appeal on Thursday during a nationwide sensitization programme on the implementation of the whistleblowing policy held in Calabar, Cross River State.
Speaking on the theme “Benefits of the Whistleblowing Policy in the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria,” the EFCC chairman stressed that a comprehensive legal framework is necessary to protect individuals who expose corruption from victimisation and ensure they are able to access financial rewards promised under the policy without unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
“I reiterate that we need a robust Act of the National Assembly to protect those who risk their lives to make disclosure on issues of corruption in this country,” he said.
Olukoyede also expressed concern that only a few countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) currently have whistleblower protection laws.
“I found it depressing that in a region where deeply rooted corruption undermines development efforts, only Ghana and Senegal have so far enacted the whistleblower protection law in ECOWAS,” he added.
The EFCC chairman was represented at the event by the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC in Uyo, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Oshodi Johnson.
Johnson noted that while financial rewards can encourage whistleblowing, the primary motivation should be preventing the looting of public funds.
“The appeal here is that the people should be more interested in whistleblowing that prevents the stealing of public funds rather than recovery, knowing that once funds are looted, the entire loot may never be fully recovered,” he said.
He further urged lawmakers to adopt provisions from United Nations Convention Against Corruption, particularly Article 33, which provides measures for the protection of individuals who report corruption.
According to him, incorporating such provisions into Nigeria’s laws would help create a safer environment for citizens willing to expose corrupt practices.
Participants at the programme included representatives from anti-corruption agencies, lawmakers, security agencies, as well as partners and stakeholders involved in the fight against corruption.