By Henry Ojelu

A civil society organisation, Good Governance Advocacy Centre, GGAC, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen the implementation of its whistleblower policy by ensuring prompt payment of rewards to credible whistleblowers whose information leads to the recovery of public funds.

The organisation, in a statement by its Executive Director, Oboh Vincent, said effective implementation of the policy would encourage more Nigerians to provide useful intelligence on financial crimes, fraud and hidden assets.

“The whistleblower policy can only succeed when citizens have confidence that the government will honour its commitments. Prompt payment of approved rewards will encourage more Nigerians to come forward with credible information that can help recover stolen public funds,” the statement read.

The Federal Ministry of Finance whistleblowing programme was introduced to encourage citizens to report financial misconduct, mismanagement of public funds, theft and other forms of corruption.

According to the CSO, delays in processing and paying approved whistleblower rewards could discourage potential informants from cooperating with authorities.

“Transparency, accountability and consistency in handling whistleblower cases are critical to strengthening public trust and improving the effectiveness of the anti-corruption campaign,” Vincent stated.

The organisation added that recovered funds could support critical infrastructure development and help the government address fiscal challenges.

GGAC also commended the ongoing economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, noting that stronger collaboration between government institutions and citizens would enhance revenue recovery and economic stability.

The group urged the Federal Government to sustain efforts aimed at blocking financial leakages and recovering stolen assets for national development.