The minister for information, Lai Mohammed in a new statement in Lagos State yesterday vowed that the Federal Government will expend a lot of resources to ensure the protection and safety of whistleblowers.
According to the minister, The FG is ready to protect and reward whistleblowers who provide information that leads to the recovery of stolen funds or assets, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed stated.
”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.
“Whistleblowers 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 whistleblower whose information leads to the recovery of up to 1 billion Naira will receive 5% of the amount; that the reward for any amount between 1 and 5 billion Naira will be 5% for the first 1 billion Naira and 4% of the remaining 4 billion Naira, and that any amount over 5 billion Naira will attract 2.5% reward.
”For example, if a whistleblower provides information leading to the recovery of 10 billion Naira, he or she will receive 5% of the first 1 billion Naira, 4% of the next 4 billion Naira and 2.5% of the remaining 5 billion Naira.
”What we have done by making this information public is to reassure potential whistleblowers that the plan to reward is real.
“We are not just saying we will pay all whistleblowers, 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.
