The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed worry over the declining number of whistleblowers across the country despite rewards offered to informants.
Abdulrasheed Bawa, the chairman of the commission, said this on Thursday in Awka at a meeting on strengthening the capacity of the public on whistleblowing policy, organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).
The programme, which was supported by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with Anambra Civil Society Network, had the theme Role of Community-Based Organisations in Entrenching Whistleblowing Policy at the Grassroots.
Mr Bawa, who was represented by Oshodi Johnson, Enugu zonal commander, EFCC, said the whistleblowing policy had helped the agency to recover huge stolen public funds across the country.
He, however, lamented that some challenges were undermining the policy’s effectiveness in the country.
According to him, ignorance of the legal and administrative frameworks of the policy and difficulties and bureaucratic processes for claiming the advertised incentives are some of the challenges.
“It is also not impossible that the few false informants or whistleblowers who were prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme into memes unnerved some other would-be informants.
“Whatever the challenges are, it is imperative that there is fresh awakening to sustain the flow of critical intelligence to Nigerian law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Mr Bawa said...
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