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AFRICMIL, PRIMORG Unveil Partnership To Push For Whistleblower Legislation In Nigeria
To further Nigeria’s fight against corruption, the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) and Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) have announced a new partnership to strengthen whistleblowing in the country.
The two civil society organizations made this known during a round table meeting at PRIMORG’s office complex on Thursday in Abuja
Speaking during the meeting, the Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, noted that whistleblowing remains an indispensable tool needed in the fight against corruption, hence the need to advocate relentlessly for a law protecting whistleblowers and whistleblowing.
Onumah lamented the inability of the 9th National Assembly to strengthen the existing whistleblowing policy and revealed plans for a robust engagement of legislators and the federal government this time.
“The eventual non-passage of the whistleblowing legislation by the last National Assembly was a minus to the fight against corruption. So, there is a need to do a lot of advocacy. Media attention must be on legislation for whistleblowing to bring the issue to the front burner of conversation again.
“There is the need to resurrect the push for whistleblowing law in Nigeria,” Onumah stressed.
He commended PRIMORG for collaborating with AFRICMIL over the years, revealing that “partnership with PRIMORG has been the most effective in the last seven years.”
On his part, the Executive Director of PRIMORG, Augustine Okhiria Agbonsuremi, described the failure of past National Assemblies to get the country a whistleblower law as a disservice and a significant setback to Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight.
Agbonsuremi called for all hands to be on deck in ensuring whistleblowing gets a legal impetus under the current National Assembly led by former Akwa Ibom state governor Godswill Akpabio as Senate President and Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker, House of Representatives.
He also welcomed the idea of vigorously engaging legislators, the federal government, civil society groups and the citizens on the lingering lack of whistleblowing law in Nigeria.
“We have to start early to engage members of the National Assembly. They will see and understand why we need a law to protect whistleblowers and preserve whistleblowing.
“We will also not relent in engaging Federal Ministries of Finance and Justice, as well as the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA). CSOs in Nigeria and beyond will be carried along to drive this reawakening towards legislation for whistleblowing in the country.” Agbonsuremi stated.
He assured AFRICMIL of PRIMORG’s continuous support and dedication towards the success of the whistleblowing project, adding that PRIMORG would use its platforms to popularize the advocacy and push for passage of whistleblowing law.
AFRICMIL and PRIMORG, during the meeting, agreed to embark on joint activities involving stakeholders in the anti-corruption spaces to work towards the realization of a law to strengthen whistleblowing in Nigeria.
The existing whistleblower policy was launched on December 21, 2016, by the Federal Government and facilitated through the Federal Ministry of Finance. Despite calls for the policy to be strengthened with legislation, previous parliaments have been unsuccessful in turning the policy into a law.
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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs
By James Samuel, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.
This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.
“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.
“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”
He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.
“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.
He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.
“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.
She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.
“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.
The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.
The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.
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