A representative from the Federal Ministry of Finance mentioned that the Whistleblower bill has been forwarded to the President for further action to be taken with the National Assembly. The Whistle-blowing Policy, initiated by the ministry, aims to encourage individuals to disclose information voluntarily regarding fraud, bribery, and misappropriated government funds. The policy was put into effect in December 2016.
In December 2022, a new draft bill for Whistle-blowers was approved by the Federal Government as the initial policy was losing effectiveness. This bill was submitted to the National Assembly, but due to the assembly’s session ending, the process was left incomplete. At a conference in Abuja, it was discussed that the bill was not passed by the ninth assembly due to it being an election year.
The coordinator of AFRICMIL expressed concerns that the whistleblower policy in Nigeria has been neglected, attributing it to the absence of protection for whistleblowers. The lack of a secure reporting environment, access to information laws, and independent judicial institutions has resulted in a decline in disclosures over time, giving the impression that the policy has been disregarded.