The Federal Government will protect and reward whistle-blowers who provide information that leads to the recovery of stolen funds or assets, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has reiterated.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, the Minister said the
Federal Government will protect the identity of all whistle-blowers,
whether in the public or the private sector, and also ensure that the
information they provide is kept secret.
“For those who may have suffered any backlash as a result of the
information they provide, their cases will be reviewed and appropriate
mitigating actions taken,” he said.
Mohammed said the assurance followed the presentations made to the Presidential Assets Recovery Committee by concerned citizens and groups about the safety of whistle-blowers.
“Whistle-blowers have nothing to fear, because the committee has put
in place the necessary measures to safeguard those who give useful
information. As a matter of fact, whistle-blowers have everything to
gain and nothing to lose,” he said.
The Minister said any whistle-blower whose information leads to the
recovery of up to N1 billion will receive 5% of the amount; that
the reward for any amount between N1 billion and N5 billion will be 5% for the first N1 billion and 4% of the remaining N4 billion, and
that any amount over N5 billion will attract 2.5% reward.
“For example, if a whistle-blower provides information leading to the
recovery of N10 billion, he or she will receive 5% of the first N1
billion, 4% of the next N4 billion and 2.5% of the
remaining N5 billion.
“What we have done by making this information public is to reassure
potential whistle-blowers that the plan to reward is real. We are not
just saying we will pay all whistle-blowers, but we are letting them
know in advance what they are entitled to, once the information they
provide leads to the recovery of looted funds,” he said.
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