Stop Threatening Anti-Corruption War By Persecuting Whistle-Blowers – NGO

Chido Onumah, Coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), yesterday said the act of persecuting whistle blowers is a threat to the anti-corruption war.

He also stated that the act of victimizing whistleblowers is threatening their effectiveness and may truncate the original intent of the policy which was introduced by the government to fight corruption in Nigeria.

Onumah who stated this in Abuja said at least two whistle-blowers in the public service, who were unjustly sacked for exposing financial fraud but were later recalled, were currently facing a fresh round of persecution in the service.

According to him, this time the victimisation is in form of withheld salaries.

“It is most disturbing that citizens who, at the risk of their personal safety, decided to heed the call of the government to blow the whistle on improper behaviour in the society are being punished.

“This is in spite of promises for their safety and protection.

“Abominable reprisals are continually being visited on whistle-blowers in a manner that endangers whistle-blowing as a tool for reducing corruption in the country. ‘’

He explained that it was the case with Mr Ntia Thompson, an Assistant Director in the SERVICOM unit of the Department of Technical Cooperation in Africa, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said Thompson who later sought transfer to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and Aaron Kaase of the Press Unit of Police Service Commission had been denied their salaries since they were reinstated.

“For instance, as soon as Thompson who was sacked in December, 2016 for reporting fraud totalling 229, 000 dollars was reinstated in July, 2017, he was redeployed to the library just to frustrate him.

“The emotional setback resulting from that made him ask for transfer to another government office.

“As we speak, he has yet to be paid seven months’ salary, from December, 2016 to July, 2017.

“Kaase, who got a court judgment reinstating him in November, 2017 but was not called back until March, 2018, has not been paid for three years now.

“He was suspended without pay in May, 2015 for reporting that the Chairman of the Commission, Mike Okiro, was involved in a fraud of N275.5 million in the commission,” he said.