World Anti-Corruption Day: ANEEJ Tasks NASS on Passage of Whistleblower and Witness Protection Bills

Comrade Leo Atakpu, deputy executive director ANEEJ, (M) representing Rev David Ugolor, executive director of the organization at the press briefing to mark the 2022 Int'l Anti-corruption Day in Benin city, Comrade Nowinta Igbotako (R), board member, ANEEJ and Sandra Eguagie (L), Manager, monitoring and evaluation, ANEEJ.

By Editor

Dec 9, 2022

A Benin-based Non-Governmental Organisation under the aegis of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has called the National Assembly to expedite action in the passage of the Whistleblower and Witness protection bills that are currently before it.

David Ugolor, the executive director of the organisation made the call on Friday at a press briefing as part of activities to mark the 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day in Benin City.

Ugolor represented by Leo Atakpu, deputy executive director of the organisation said the passage of the bills and assent by President Muhammadu Buhari will help strengthen the battle against the corruption in the country.

According to him, the Witness Protection and Management Bill and the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection Bill 2022 (Whistleblower Bill) are still pending .

"We urge the Presidential Initiative for Continuous Audit (PICA) within the Federal Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly to do the needful to conclude work on these pending anti-corruption bills", he said.

While commending the federal government efforts in concluding work on some anti-corruption laws such as the Proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Act 2022, the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 and the Terrorism respectively, he opined that the Whistleblowers are not sufficiently protected by the existing laws in the country.

He also opined that the passage of the Whistleblower and Witness protection bills by the national assembly and subsequent assent by the president will help protect citizens against unforeseen dangers by those the information are concerns.

DailyMonitorngr reports that the ANEEJ boss, who added that the laws must be cleared on how the whistleblowers and witness should be protected, advocated that the two bills should be immediately passed to run in paripasu with the existing anti-corruption laws.

"The whistleblowers needs that protection because at the moment people are afraid to disclose corrupt practices because they are not protected sufficiently by the existing laws in the land.

"That is why we believe that such an Act of parliament will help to protect citizens. 

"You will agree with me that certain citizens who are in a place where corruption is being perpetuated we nurse that fear that if they disclose any act of corruption against anybody their entire families are in danger as they might be wiped off if they expose such person.

"So, such person will conclude that it will be better for he/her not to say anything. So they keep quite and become complacent. That is why we need this bill to protect the whistleblowers", he added.

He, however, encouraged the federal government to provide support to the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) to meet quarterly to promote learning and collaboration amongst anti-corruption agencies in the corruption.

He said the support should be in the area of funding and human capacity building.

He, however, appreciated Palladium and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for providing the resources for the organization and the anti-corruption cluster to implement the " Enhancing Anti-corruption and Social Inclusive Reform Initiatives in Nigeria"project.