Azogor Ideba|23 August 2017
Since its introduction in December, 2016, the Nigeria’s whistle bowing policy which seeks to expose hidden monies and their owners has inundated the media and indeed Nigerians with revelations of discovered monies; and in some cases drama associated with ownership of said monies – multiple individuals laying claim to ownership of concealed money.
Again, instances of controversy between the government and the whistle blowers with respect to remittance of percentage and even non-payment of due amount to whistle blowers came to the fore. It remains to be seen how long the policy will survive the test of time in the country or how long this new business of snooping would remain lucrative.
Now the question is how patriotic is the whistle blowing policy or the whistle blower in a present Nigerian society which reeks of corruption and is in dire need of men and women of morals and good conscience to redress? Where is the place of patriotism in a man or woman who must expose corruption or corrupt practices just because there is a monetary reward? Will it be out of place to say that the policy itself is perforated with corruption because of the potential to corrupt the minds of unassuming Nigerians who would begin to see acts of patriotism as induce-able rather than good spirited or selfless? Is the financial reward for whistle blowing not akin to bribery? Since when has bribery become an acceptable norm in Nigeria?
Today people spend a big chunk of their time snooping around offices and private homes in a bid to find concealed monies and subsequently blow whistles rather than engage in worthy ventures. Here, money is a motivator not nationalism not patriotism. Some go as far as whistle blowing on legitimately concealed monies probably because of the desperation to make gains.
Recall the national embarrassment in April, 2017 brought upon the nation in the wake of the controversy which trailed the multiple ownership of 13billion naira discovered at an uninhabited luxurious Ikoyi residence. While Governor Nyesom Wike claimed with proof that the cash was the Rivers state fund looted by former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, he was countered by the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Ayodele Oke who also claimed the cash belonged to the Agency and was meant for some covert operation which was approved by former president Goodluck Jonathan before leaving office. This particular façade helped to expose the weakness of the whistle blowing policy and the desperation associated with it. The debacle further helped to smear the already battered image of the nation. The NIA was tainted and conspicuously compromised as a result.
Point blank, the national whistle blowing policy apparently defeats the spirit and intent of patriotism. It is unpatriotic. It is counterproductive and corruptible. It is against the tenet of good conscience and integrity. It is at variance with national ethics.
As a panacea, government should jettison the whistle blowing policy and frantically empower the anti-graft agencies in order to be better positioned to do their job well. The agencies must be strengthened to effectively withstand the challenges of corruption and financial crimes in the country. If the whistle blowing policy must continue then it must be devoid or ransom or any financial reward. Nigerians should be encouraged to disclose stolen funds based on patriotism and good conscience not based on inducement.
The menace of corruption has become a threat to the corporate wellbeing of the nation and everybody is affected by the quagmire hence the fight against corruption must be the responsibility of every responsible and patriotic Nigerian. It is a collective effort and all hands must be on deck.
A whistle blower should be rewarded in kind not in cash. He or she should be accorded national recognition; given employment if unemployed; awarded scholarship to study; any other form of reward aside monetary.
Only recently, the Minister of finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun disclosed that a whopping 350 million Naira has been paid to whistle blowers since the policy started in 2016. This is absurd in a nation groaning of recession and in dire need of money to remedy infrastructural decays and deficits and also pursue programmes and projects that will better the lot of the people.
There is no gain denying that the policy is fighting corruption on one hand and on the other hand, aiding and abetting it. This is one paradox of a policy and it needs to be rejigged.
Azogor Ideba
Writes from Calabar
