Whistleblower bill vital to anti-graft war – Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday said the Bill for an Act to protect whistleblowers was a vital tool for the country’s anti-corruption war.

Dogara stated this at a workshop organised for the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes and members of the civil society on the Whistle Blowers Bill held in Abuja.

The bill, he added, would greatly enhance disclosure of information on corrupt persons when passed by the National Assembly.

He said the bill would help to uncover private collaborators who connived with corrupt public servants while providing adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making such complaints.

The speaker said the bill, when passed, would make more information available for investigation of alleged corruption and misuse of power by public servants.

He stressed the need for Nigeria to have a law that protects whistleblowers.

The Speaker said, “What we have is the Federal Ministry of Finance’s whistle-blowing programme, which is designed to encourage anyone with information about a violation of financial regulations to report.

“This has not yet been backed by any legal framework, and therefore, not legally enforceable.”

He also said the burden of corruption in Nigeria was a peculiar one that inhibited its economic and social development.

NAN