Why Whistle Blower Bill Must Become a Law – Dogara

Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker of the House of Representatives stated that the Nigerian National Assembly will do everything possible to ensure that the whistle blower bill is made into a law. According to him, if this is achieved, it will protect the whistle blowers as well as forbid the abuse of the policy. He added that making the bill into a law would break the spell surrounding the piece of legislation since the time it was first presented to the National Assembly in 2008.

Dogara made this known today, Tuesday the 13th of June, 2017 while delivering a speech at a workshop on Whistle Blower’s Protection Bill for organized for Members of the House Committee on Financial Crimes and the Leaders of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Here is an excerpt from his speech: “the consequences of corruption are greater than just the diversion of resources, profound as this is. Corruption destroys societies and contributes to deficit trust and confidence in governance. According to Corruption Watch, a non-profit organization, ‘Corruption affects us all”.

Even though the Whistle Blower’s Protection Bill is currently before the National Assembly for consideration, the whistle blowers can be offered some form of legal protection under the Freedom of Information Act (2011).

In the House of Representatives, the important role of lawmakers in preventing and exposing corruption as well as furnishing whistle blowers with adequate protection is recognized. According to him “we recognize that the Parliament, more than the Executive, has the duty and responsibility to expose corruption, inefficiency and waste within its legislative competence. We have demonstrated leadership by declaring in our legislative agenda that our people must be at the centre of our activities and we have subjected ourselves as well as our legislative processes to the rule of law”.

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