The Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW) has urged the National Assembly to accelerate the legislative process and ensure the prompt passage of the whistleblower bill established in 2016.
The organization emphasized that with the prevailing corruption challenges in the country, the enactment of this law has become even more pressing. It is viewed as a secure alternative for exposing dishonest activities.
Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director of CeFTIW, made this appeal during the presentation of the Civil Society’s Monitoring Mechanism for Nigeria’s Implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Yakubu highlighted that the Nigerian system tends to address issues by allocating funds without thoroughly analyzing them for more enduring solutions.
He called for a sustainable legal framework using the whistle-blower law to tackle corruption in the country, saying, ”Although the federal government said it is not backing down on the whistleblower policy, the enthusiasm for whistle-blowing to tackle corruption has reduced over the fear of attacks and reprisals”.
”We need a legal framework to back people who see corruption and speak out against it. We need safe desks at MDAs where workers can safely and anonymously report corruption.
Meanwhile, Tamara Berepubo, Program Officer at the Center, presenting the corruption monitoring mechanism designed by a coalition of CSOs, said the document is a guide for assessing Nigeria’s implementation of the global anti-corruption framework.
She noted that the template highlights the challenges and gaps in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fights and provides concrete and actionable recommendations to address them.
”The monitoring template will also showcase some of the good practices and innovations that responsible government organizations in Nigeria have implemented to promote the UNCAC principles and values.
”We arrived at these mechanisms through consultations and validation from experts, including government agencies, civil society organizations, academics, and international partners.
Recall that Nigeria in October 2004, ratified the UNCAC, committing to the legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument.
UNCAC is a universal anti-corruption instrument, covering a wide range of issues such as prevention, criminalization, international cooperation, and asset recovery.
