EFCC Worry Over Drop In Whistle-blowers

01 Jul EFCC Worry Over Drop In Whistle-blowers

The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed concerns

over the declining number of whistleblowers across the country despite the

huge rewards the commission offers to whistleblowers.

EFCC Chairman, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa stated this in Awka, the Anambra

State capital, on Thursday, at a meeting on strengthening the capacity of

stakeholders on whistleblowing policy, organised by the African Centre for

Media and Information Literacy, (AFRICMIL).

Bawa was represented by the Zonal Commander, EFCC, Enugu, Oshodi

Johnson, recalled that at the beginning of the whistleblowing policy, the

commission received huge information which, according to him, led to the

recovery of “humongous” stolen public funds.

He said that two of the landmark recoveries from whistleblowers’

information were the $9.8m recovered from a former Managing Director of

the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu, and the $11m

recovered at an apartment in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He wondered why the sudden decline and the reason behind it.

He listed challenges undermining the policy effectiveness to include

ignorance of its legal and administrative frameworks as well as difficulties in

navigating the complex bureaucratic processes for claiming the advertised

incentives.

He said, “It is also not impossible that the few false informants who were

prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme to memes, unnerved

some other would-be informants.

“Whatever the challenges are, it is imperative that there is a fresh

awakening to sustain the flow of critical intelligence to Nigerian law

enforcement agencies.

“Recall almost with some sense of nostalgia, how a few years ago, precisely

on December 21, 2016, the Federal Government introduced the Whistle-

blower Policy, which offered some incentives to citizens that provide

information leading to the recovery of stolen public funds.

“It was heralded by a frenzy of sorts with a deluge of information by

informants, some of which led to the recovery of humongous sums of money

by the EFCC.

“Two of the landmark recoveries from whistleblowers’ information were the

$9.8m recovered from a former managing director of the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation, Mr Andrew Yakubu, and the $11m recovered at an

apartment in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

“After these landmark recoveries and a few others and notwithstanding the

fact that those who came forward with useful information received

handsome rewards, enthusiasm for the policy appears to have waned a bit.