The federal government has received 365
actionable tips from members of the public since the Whistle blower
Policy was launched in December 2016, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi
Adeosun, disclosed Tuesday...
She also disclosed that a full-fledged Whistle blower Unit with full
operation within the Ministry of Finance had been set up, adding that
government intentionally integrated the team into the ministry to
provide comfort to those with information by ensuring that the
environment is not intimidating.
The minister, who spoke in Abuja at a
seminar organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) with
the theme, “The Whistle blower Policy and Its Implication for Public
Servants,” also disclosed that investigative agencies were billed to
embark on study tour of Australia due to that country’s pedigree in whistle blowing.
According to her, much of the success of
the policy had relied on the decision of the whistle blower to do the
right thing, adding that of the 365 actionable tips received, over half
of them came from public servants touching on issues such as contract
inflation, ghost workers, illegal recruitment's, misappropriation of
funds, illegal sale of government assets, diversion of revenues, and
violation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) regulations, among others.
Adeosun disclosed that in reviewing the information received, the government noticed that certain types of tips were recurring.
“For example, 39 per cent (144) of the
actionable tips relate to misappropriation and diversion of
funds/revenue, 16 per cent (60) relate to ghost workers, illegal recruitment's and embezzlement of funds meant for personnel emolument, 15
per cent (56) relate to violation of TSA regulation, 13 per cent (49)
relate to contract inflation/violation of the Procurement Act and
failure to carry out projects for which funds have been released, and 9
per cent (34) relate to non-remittance of pension & NHIS deductions.
“Others include concealed bailout funds and embezzlement of funds from donor agencies,” the minister added.
Adeosun noted that overall, the volume of tips received had been greater and of higher quality than expected when the programme was first adopted.
Adeosun noted that overall, the volume of tips received had been greater and of higher quality than expected when the programme was first adopted.
“We continue to receive information
everyday with total communication reaching above 5,000 in July through
our various reporting channels,” she said.
However, she pointed out there was still a long way to go, stressing that “part of our work is to analyze trends and take corrective actions”.
However, she pointed out there was still a long way to go, stressing that “part of our work is to analyze trends and take corrective actions”.
“For example, many of the salary, tax
and pensions under remittance cases shared a common thread. Several
cases where institutions were found to have insufficient funds to meet
their obligations often had illegal recruitment's, which bloated the wage
bill and agencies responded by part paying or short paying salaries,
whilst applying to the federal government for salary shortfall payments.
“We are revisiting our procedures for
approval of recruitment, which will improve our budgeting and control.
Equally, in many cases where revenue has been diverted to accounts
outside the TSA, we have reviewed our reconciliation and receipting
processes.
“So the information being provided is useful in driving process improvements,” she stated.
“So the information being provided is useful in driving process improvements,” she stated.
She urged civil servants with information on possible misconduct or violations to come forward.
She said: “If as a civil servant, you have information about a possible misconduct or violation that has occurred, is ongoing, or is about to occur, we implore you to come forward and report it.
She said: “If as a civil servant, you have information about a possible misconduct or violation that has occurred, is ongoing, or is about to occur, we implore you to come forward and report it.
“You can submit your information
anonymously and confidentially through the online portal, by email or by
phone, and if you choose to disclose your identity, I assure you that
it will be fully protected.
“All information you provide will be
reviewed, analyzed and referred to be treated either administratively or
criminally, through the investigative agencies.
“If for any reason after you have made a
disclosure, you feel that you are being treated badly because of your
report, you can file a formal complaint through the same confidential
channels and the matter will be dealt with immediately with the
seriousness it deserves.
“Also, where you have suffered
harassment, intimidation or victimization for sharing your concerns, the whistle blower policy makes provision for restitution for any loss
suffered.
“The risk of corruption is significantly
heightened where the reporting of wrongdoing is not supported or where
those who report wrongdoing may be subject to retaliation such as
intimidation, harassment, transfer, dismissal or violence by their
fellow colleagues or superiors.
“The protection of public sector whistle blowers from retaliation for reporting in good faith is therefore
integral to our effort to combat corruption, safeguard integrity, and
enhance accountability.
“These are not just words, as you must
have heard, the Senate recently passed the Whistle blower Protection Bill
which gives a whistle blower, protection under the laws of Nigeria.
“This is a great step in the right
direction in our fight against corruption and I must thank the
legislature for supporting the executive.
“Our whistle blower policy is consistent
with many other countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand,
United Kingdom and the United States which have passed comprehensive
and dedicated legislation's to protect whistle blowers and particularly,
public sector whistle blowers.
“In line with ensuring that we continue
to build the right capacity and follow best practice, the Whistle blower
Unit consisting of representatives from the various investigative
agencies, is expected to go on a study tour to Australia to understand
how they have been able to successfully implement the policy.
“We will continue to evolve and improve on the programme based on our experiences and learning from other jurisdictions.”
“We will continue to evolve and improve on the programme based on our experiences and learning from other jurisdictions.”
Adeosun noted that the reward scheme
under the policy has also served as an incentive for disclosures, as a whistle blower is entitled to between 2.5 per cent and 5 per cent of the
amount recovered, if the information provided is original and directly
leads to the recovery of stolen or concealed funds or assets.
“Even in the payment process, we have
built in protection to ensure that whistle blowers identities remain
confidential and that bank and other details cannot be used to trace
information providers,” she said.
In his remarks, the Director-General of
BPSR, Dr. Joe Abah, said that the agency organized the seminar to
provide the needed platform to educate public servants on what the
policy is about and the roles public servants were expected to play to
ensure its successful implementation.
He noted that the Whistle blower Policy
was in accordance with the tenets of reforming the public service and
urged public servants to expose corruption where it exists.
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