ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
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ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
WHISTLE-BLOWING IN NIGERIA
In line with this,the Federal Government (FG) has launched a new programme that is aimed at encouraging anyone in the possession of criminal information to report it for investigation. You can be a whistle-blower for the government by providing useful information.
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Nigeria whistle blower portal |
In fact,the whistle-blowing programme came as an initiative from the Federal Ministry of Finance as a means of helping the nation get useful information about a couple of things that could draw the nation backwards. Individuals are encouraged to provide useful information that entails violation of government financial regulations as well as procurement procedures, mismanagement or misappropriation of public funds and assets, financial malpractice, fraud and theft of public assets.
That is to say that,the initiative aims at carrying Nigerians along and making them a part of the building process if the nation is to be wiped clean of the various forms of corruption that has plagued it. Also, the whistle-blowing programme aims at finding anyone who can provide information on stolen or concealed public assets. It also covers information on manipulation of data or records, solicitation or collection of bribes, undocumented expenditure, splitting of contracts, conflicts of interest, diversion, under-reporting, concealment and non-remittance of government revenues. The programme also wants information on any other form of corruption involving government funds and assets.
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
For proper understanding of this concept, we have to look at certain terms that are associated with it.
-Whistle-blower is any person(s) including employee, management, directors, depositors, service providers, creditors and other stakeholders of an institution who reports any form of unethical behaviour or dishonesty to the appropriate authority.
– Whistle-blowing is the act of reporting an observed/perceived unethical misconduct of employees, management, directors and other stakeholders of an institution by an employee or other person to appropriate authority. It is an early warning system that enables an organization to find out when something is going wrong in time to take necessary corrective actions.
– Complaint is defined as an allegation or concern that is subject to investigation by the appropriate authority.
– Detriment Victimization or reprisal of a whistle-blower is in any or a combination of the following forms; dismissal, termination, redundancy, undue influence, duress, withholding of benefit and/or entitlements and any other act that has negative impact on the whistle-blower.
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
Nigeria whistle-blower website
– Complaints must be made in Good Faith . This is evident when a report or concern is made without malice or consideration of personal benefit and the employee has a reasonable basis to believe that the report is true; provided, however, a report does not have to be proven to be true to be made in good faith. Good faith is lacking when the disclosure is known to be malicious or false.
– Investigation is defined as a process designed to gather and analyze information in order to determine whether misconduct has occurred and if so, the party or parties responsible.
– Misconduct is a failure by a staff member or other relevant stakeholder to observe the rules of conduct or standards of behaviour prescribed by an organization.
– A Suspect is a person who is alleged to have committed a misconduct and subject of investigation.
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
Further searches related to whistle blower policy in Nigeria that will help you know more about this subject matter are:
- Nigeria whistle-blower website
- ” whistle-blowing portal”
- whistle finance gov ng
- Nigeria whistle blower portal
- whistle-blowing cases in Nigeria
- whistle-blowing in Nigeria
- whistle-blower protection bill 2015
- whistle-blowing policy and procedure
To find the things you need to know about the FG whistle-blowing programme and make your reports:
1. There are channels of communication for potential whistle-blowers: This programme works with the use of a secure online portal which people can submit the relevant tips and reports to. The portal for the programme is whistle.finance.gov.ng; emails on questions and queries can be forwarded to whistle@finance.gov.ng. In a case where the information to be given is urgent, this phone number can be used 0909 806 7946.
Nigeria whistle blower portal
2. The requirements for eligible information for the programme: The information required has to be as substantial as possible. It is important for the reports submitted to contain dates and place of occurrence and persons involved. In cases where these are not available, it is sufficient that the whistleblower makes the report on reasonable belief that the information provided is true.
3. FG’s commitment to whistle-blowers and their protection : A whistle-blower does not necessarily have to be someone or a group of persons within or outside the government. This title could be for anyone who is deeply concerned about the state of affairs in the nation. Anyone who believes a violation of accountability with regards to government resources can report. The reports have to be made in good faith and not out of malice or grievances aimed at getting back at a party.
ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWING IN NIGERIA.
They should also not be made for the personal gains. The whistle-blowers will be protected and entitled to the strictest confidentiality as permitted by the law. The programme also makes provision for them when they feel they are in danger as a result of their whistle-blowing activities. The work of a whistle-blower does not end with the submission of tips and reports, he or she will also have the opportunity to independently monitor the status of the report submitted. This way, they will feel like a part of the process and be assured that the necessary steps are being taken on the provided information
4. The investigative units take over after a report is submitted: The programme is coordinated by the investigations unit under the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) within the ministry of finance. The administrators of the programme will analyse the provided information and determine whether something credible can come out of it. This will be done within ten working days of getting the information. Investigations can be done by another body apart from the PICA with the whistle-blower being briefed on the outcome.
5. Reward for genuine whistle-blowers: Giving relevant information that leads to the voluntary return of stolen or diverted public funds will be highly beneficial to the whistle-blowers. The reward scheme will give set minimum and maximum standards of 2.5 percent and 5 percent respectively as reward to the whistle-blowers. The standards will be removed from the total recovered amount and given to the whistle-blowers.
6. Punishment for those who abuse the programme: As expected, the FG is aware of people who will want to launch their unscrupulous behaviours with the program. Information that is misleading, speculated or acquired in a manner that constitutes criminal offence will not attract any reward. Also, whistle-blowers who deliberately provide false information will be subjected to investigation and possible prosecution by law enforcement agencies.
Deacon Anekperechi Nworgu, a seasoned economist who transitioned into a chartered accountant, auditor, tax practitioner, and business consultant, brings with him a wealth of industry expertise spanning over 37 years.
