Civil society groups in Nigeria and some other citizens have urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the ninth National Assembly to enact a whistleblowing law before leaving office next 29th May; that is 232 days away, including weekends public holiday and non-legislaive days.
In December 2016, the Buhari administration released a whistleblowing policy in line with its sworn fight against corruption. But there has been no legislative backing.
The fresh call for the Federal Government to legally secure whistleblowing in Nigeria was made on Friday during a town hall meeting in Abuja, organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) in collaboration with the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG).
AFRICMIL’s Programme Officer, Mr Godwin Onyeacholem called on President Buhari to leverage his rapport with the leadership of the National Assembly and ensure whistleblowing bills are harmonised, fast-tracked, passed, and signed into law before leaving office.
Onyeacholem expressed worry over the lacklustre attitude of the government towards enacting legislation that would strengthen whistleblower policy, and adequately protect whistleblowers, stressing that the “non-passage of whistleblowing law from 2016 to date points to lack of political will”.
He called on the President to utilise his presidential powers and persuade lawmakers to progress on the law.
“If he’s (President Buhari) interested in pushing whistleblowing out there as an effective anti-corruption mechanism, I think what he should do is to summon the leadership of the National Assembly and say, I want this bill before the end of my tenure. It is possible. It can be done”, Onyeacholem stressed.
Similarly, legal practitioner Godwin Chigbu stated that the possibility of enacting a whistleblowing law in Nigeria is high, considering the excellent relationship between the executive and most legislators.
He urged President Buhari to complete the good work he started when his administration introduced the policy nearly seven years ago. The “lack of political will to pass whistleblower bills into law is dangerous for the nation,” he cautioned.
On his part, Deputy Editor Daily Trust, Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz said that the lack of whistleblowing legislation is not enabling the Nigerian media to sufficiently hold public officials to account.
He urged journalists not to relent in exposing corrupt acts in the society despite the hostile environment they operate in.
“Whistleblowing is a civic duty. It’s a responsibility to us, especially in the media, we have that constitutionally assigned duty of holding public officials to account, which by all means necessary, we have to try and continue doing it”, Abdulaziz advised.
Strategic Communications Manager at Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mr Suleiman Murkthar also urged President Buhari to enact a whistleblowing law as one of his last legacies.
“Tenures are about legacies. The President has done his bit passing the Electoral Act, which we are all proud of. This is also something else he can add to his own legacy”, Murkthar said.
He warned that citizens would continue to shy away from reporting if there is no whistleblowing legislation, while calling on civil society organisations and citizens to continue advocating for the law before 29th May 2023.
The Radio Town Hall meeting series is a collaborative effort between AFRICMIL and PRIMORG aimed at increasing citizens’ active participation and involvement, and encouraging the government to institutionalise the whistle-blowing policy.
The project has the support of MacArthur Foundation.
