Whistleblower Policy Yields N605bn Cash, Others

Despite the waning enthusiasm from Nigerians towards the five-year-old whistle blowing policy of the federal government, the strategy has fetched government N605 billion in recovered funds, The Nation can reveal.

The largest chunk of this sum – N540 billion – was recovered in 2018 alone, according to figures obtained from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The sum of $174 million was recovered from a multinational oil company operating in the country.

Also confiscated by government through the policy were 20 houses, a poultry farm, 42 brand new cargo tricycles, four cars, 210 trucks, 10 plots of land, 189 shops, one event centre, five LPG plants, one warehouse, 17 vehicles, nine trailer heads, 40 trailer backs and 473 trailers.

In all, 68 cases of corruption were lodged with government, 36 of which turned out to be false.

The remaining 32 were found to be true with government moving in to seize the involved cash and assets.

Although many of the whistleblowers whose tips were found to be true have been duly compensated, it was gathered that most of them complained about the long time it took government to pay them.

This may have been one of the reasons for the dwindling enthusiasm by Nigerians to blowing whistle on corruption.

A source said the objective of the policy would be impaired “if promised rewards are either not paid, delayed or released with controversies of underpayment or award to wrong claimants.”

The Nation