Whistleblowing, Panacea To Corruption-AGF
By: Darlington Omotoso
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) has identified whistleblowing as a viable tool in the fights against corruption in Nigeria.
The Minister stated during the presentation of the Third National Survey on Corruption to mark the African Anti-Corruption Day, 2024.
He described the theme of the event which is “Effective Whistleblowers’ Protection Mechanism: A Critical Tool in the Fight Against Corruption” as apt.
The Minister said: “Effective whistleblowing mechanism can be used to curb corruption in the areas of fraud, money laundering, terrorism financing, breach of international sanctions, inappropriate use of company resources, conflict of interest, insider trading, infractions to competition and anti-trust laws, infringement of personal data protection laws, harassment or discrimination in the workplace.”
He explained that the challenges being faced by whistle-blowers are insufficient knowledge of law, fear of reprisal, lack of meaningful implementation of the law, confidential and loyalty provisions, cultural and historic barriers, among others.
In ensuring effective whistleblowing mechanism, the AGF urged government to put in place an effective law to protect whistle-blowers from risks and to create awareness on the rules and procedures of whistleblowing as well as organisational culture of transparency that supports whistleblowing.
