A group, Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), on Tuesday called on the need to establish a comprehensive legal framework to protect whistleblowers and their families in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of PPLAAF, Mr Jimmy Kande, made the call in Abuja at the launch of the organisation’s investigative report titled: “Dirty Deeds.”
Kande said the initiative would help to encourage the reporting of corruption and other forms of wrongdoings in the country.
He said PPLAAF had previously contributed to discussions on proposed whistleblower legislation and is still advocating for stronger protection in partnership with other relevant organisations.
Kande, who observed that the proposed law was yet to be enacted, stressed that political will remains critical to providing effective protection for people who expose wrongdoings.
The executive director acknowledged initiatives aimed at encouraging Nigerians to report corruption, including financial incentives, but said rewards alone are insufficient.
Kande maintained that many potential whistleblowers remain reluctant to speak out because they fear reprisals, adding that adequate protection should also extend to their families.
According to him, corruption may begin behind closed doors, but its consequences are always public.
“They are visible in the school that was never built. In the hospital that lacks equipment. In the road that remains unfinished. In the electricity that does not reach a family or a business.”
Kande said when public money crosses borders, those consequences do not disappear simply because the money does.
He, however, said that “protecting a whistleblower is the beginning of the process, not the end.”
According to him, their disclosures must be investigated.
“Evidence must be documented. Journalists must be able to pursue the story.
“Civil society must be able to advocate. Authorities must be able to investigate.
“And, where the law permits, stolen assets must ultimately be traced, frozen, seized and returned.
“This is the continuum that defines our work.
“And Dirty Deeds illustrates why that continuum increasingly needs to be international,” he said.
