Nigeria Has Recovered ₦700 Billion Through Whistle Blowers

The federal government has recovered at least ₦700 billion through its Whistle Blower Policy.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning, Zainab Ahmed, made this known during a media briefing at the National Conference on the whistleblower policy in Nigeria yesterday in Abuja,

Zainab Ahmed said the government had been able to recover large sums of money from the efforts of whistleblowers who had exposed some corrupt activities.

She said: “There were recoveries and the cleaning of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS); stoppage of non-compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and violations of the procurement Act 2007”.

The minister lamented that “at inception, there was widespread enthusiasm as Nigerians volunteered numerous actionable information”.

She said such information was being investigated by the EFCC, ICPC, NFIU or DSS.

“However, after some time, interest in the implementation of the policy nosedived. Our attempt to reawaken public interest on the policy did not quite materialise.

“It was then we realised that there was apparent confusion in the public mind on several issues,” she said.

To address these issues, a committee consisting of representatives from the anti-corruption and security agencies, under the chairmanship of a representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, was set up to formulate the necessary arrangements for the anti-corruption program based on all the complaints of the community and the suggestions made by the stakeholders.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo the whistle blower policy “was developed as a tool towards the exposure of corruption and corrupt actors in Government.”