Garba Shehu: Whistle-blower policy will expose weapons in the homes of politicians

The federal government says it may extend its whistle-blower policy to cover the illegal acquisition of arms in the country.

The government said it had been getting suggestions from Nigerians to this effect, not ruling out the possibility of taking the step.

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, made this known to state house correspondents on Wednesday.

“The presidency has received suggestions that call for the whistle blower policy to be extended to the possession of illegal weapons by powerful individuals in the country,” he said.

“The government will look at all that and make a pronouncement.

“Nigerians would be encouraged to expose the presence of illegal weapons in the homes of powerful politicians and other public figures, who may use those deadly arms for sinister political agenda.”

Shehu said that the federal government plans to strengthen the mechanism of the policy “by either bringing it under the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, (PACAC) or some other body to imbue the process with a strategic national purpose”.

He admitted that the enthusiastic response of Nigerians to the whistle-blower policy had boosted the tempo of the anti-corruption crusade of the present administration.

“In a word, government thinks that the whistle blower mechanism is too important to be left without a strategic, national direction,’’ he said.

“Those patriotic Nigerians exposing looted funds deserve all the encouragement and protection to sustain their enthusiasm, with a view to encouraging more citizens to participate in this major aspect of the anti-corruption crusade.

“When the citizens realise they are victims of corruption, they may feel encouraged to join the efforts to expose looted funds.

“The huge and incredible amounts of looted funds being recovered by EFCC and the whistle blower efforts is a revelation about the mindless, callous and reckless scale on which Nigeria had been robbed by unpatriotic and egregiously selfish public officials.”