Whistle-blowers have everything to gain — and nothing to fear, says Lai

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says whistle-blowers have nothing to fear.

In a statement on Sunday, the minister said information provided by whistle-blowers either in public or private sector would be 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,” the statement read.

”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.

The minister said any whistle-blower whose information leads to the recovery of up to 1 billion Naira will receive percent of the amount.

”For example, if a whistle-blower provides information leading to the recovery of 10 billion Naira, he or she will receive five percent of the first 1 billion Naira, four percent of the next 4 billion Naira and 2.5 percent of the remaining 5 billion naira,” Mohammad said.

”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.”