President Bola Tinubu is to present the Whistle Blowing Bill to the National Assembly, as his administration reinvigorates the fight against corruption and financial fraud in the country.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, disclosed this at the sensitization workshop on the Whistle Blowing Policy, in Abuja, yesterday.
According to him, the President Tinubu administration was determined to rally good spirited members of the Nigerian public to join in the fight against corruption in the country, by reporting financial malpractice to the authorities.
His words, “Today's workshop is a step to equip all of us here, all of us participants, with the knowledge and the tools that would help us to identify and report fraudulent practices to the relevant authorities.
“As part of this whole process to ensure smooth operation of the whistleblower policy, government is committed to guaranteeing protection from possible reprisals by handling reports, handling information with the utmost confidentiality.
“The policy does provide mechanisms for protection, and it is our duty to uphold these provisions and support those who come forward in the interest of the public, those who are public spirited, brave, courageous, committed and determined to do the right thing, must, should and will be protected.
“It is a fact that a successful whistleblowing policy involves receiving verifiable reports, conducting thorough investigations to authenticate them, and taking appropriate action to enforce compliance with the law.
“To this end, Mr. President will be representing, in due course, the Whistleblowing Bill to the National Assembly for necessary processing and legislative action. And we expect that the public will support the quick passage, the prompt and expeditious passage of this all important bill by the National Assembly.
“Let me reiterate the unwavering commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institutionalizing, putting in place, committing to giving pride of place, to transparency, accountability and ethical good governance.
“The whistle blower policy is part of the government's strategy to ensure that our public institutions operate with integrity and remain accountable to the people of Nigeria, who have been empowered by this policy to remain as a watchdog over all that happens, particularly in the public space and particularly with the finances and with the resources that belong to all Nigerians.”
Mr. Edun added that the Nigerian whistleblowing policy established clear procedures for reporting financial malpractice, which has helped to ensure confidentiality and protection of the whistleblower from retaliation and keeping them safe as they do their civic or professional duties.
He stressed that fighting corruption was a collective responsibility to create an environment where the Nigerian populace would feel confident and protected in reporting unethical, illegal, untoward, wrong practices that could jeopardize the interests of all or jeopardize the development of the
country.
The minister said, however, that the present administration cherished the right of privacy and protection of every Nigerian, and therefore the whistleblowing policy was not meant to witch hunt anybody, but to save the resources of Nigeria for her development.
No comments:
Post a Comment