The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) is sounding the alarm on the delay in passing the whistleblowing and whistleblower protection bill into law in Nigeria. In a letter to Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Chief Adebayo Olawale Edun, AFRICMIL’s Coordinator, Dr. Chido Onumah, emphasized that “We cannot emphasize enough that a protection law is long overdue, nor can the critical role of whistleblowers in the achievement of transparency, accountability, and good governance be understated.”
The organization expressed concern that the 9th National Assembly’s failure to pass the bill has created an environment where potential whistleblowers are hesitant to come forward due to fear of retaliation. As a result, “accountability in both public and private sectors has continued to suffer to a large extent.”
AFRICMIL recalled the Minister’s promise to ensure the prompt passage of the bill into law during a whistleblowing sensitization workshop hosted by the Federal Ministry of Finance last August. However, the organization noted that despite sending the bill back to the Presidency, no further action has been taken.
The organization urged the Minister to use his goodwill to push for the passage of the bill, stating that “having a whistleblower protection law will be a great leap forward in the desire for democratic accountability in Nigeria and the subregion.” With Ghana being the only country in West Africa to have such a law, AFRICMIL believes that Nigeria’s adoption of a whistleblower protection law would be a significant step forward in promoting transparency and accountability.