Victor EzejaThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has called for the reform of the Whistleblowing Policy to offer more protection and guarantees of compensation to whistle-blowers in view of the dangers which they are exposed to.
The Acting Executive Chairman of the Commission, Abdulkarim Chukkol, made the call during a town hall meeting on 27 July 2023, in Calabar, organized by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), with the theme: “Strengthening the Whistleblowing Policy Implementation through Whistleblower Protection”.
According to a statement signed by the EFFC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, Chukkol, who was represented by the Uyo Zonal Commander of the EFCC, ACE Bawa Hamidu said: “Individuals can only be willing to provide information if they are certain that they are protected by the law. Thus, in order to strengthen the whistleblowing policy, adequate measures must be put in place to ensure the protection of whistle-blowers.”
Highlighting the benefits of the Whistleblowing Policy, Chukkol said it “helps in exposing money laundering and other illicit flow of funds.
“Since the emergence of the policy, the whistleblowing programme has immensely assisted the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies in recording milestone achievements in tackling corruption and illicit cash flow.”
Speaking earlier, Dr. Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL said the essence of the event was to improve public consciousness on whistleblowing and help them to understand that it is their right to report wrongdoing.
He called on the general public to report corrupt practices to law enforcement agencies, whose mandate it is to tackle such cases. “AFRICMIL is encouraging our compatriots to make disclosures on fraud, corruption, theft, mismanagement of public resources and wrongdoings that negatively impact the society and we assure them of protection when they face retaliation for doing so”, he said.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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