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No Going Back On Enactment Of Whistleblower Law, Declares FG

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2023

Joel Ajayi

… as CSOs set to hold policy roundtable on whistleblower protection law

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, says the government is not backing down on the enactment of whistleblower law.

Fagbemi revealed that plans are underway to reintroduce the aborted whistleblower bill to the 10th National Assembly.

Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer pledged during a town hall meeting organized by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) in collaboration with the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) at the weekend in Abuja.

The development is also coming ahead of a Policy Roundtable on Whistleblower Protection Law slated for Tuesday, November 7, 2023, in Abuja.

Represented by the Chief Legal Officer, Ministry of Justice, Adesoji Afolabi, the AGF emphasized that the whistleblower bill that did not see the light of the day during the 9th National Assembly will be reintroduced to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and then forwarded to the parliament.

“In legislative process and procedures, once a bill couldn’t be passed in the last Assembly, that means it needs to be reintroduced, and I think the Federal Ministry of Finance is about doing that.

“Government will put all efforts to ensure that the bill is reintroduced, and when it is done, I trust our Honourable Attorney General who will now take it up from there, because you can’t fight corruption based on policy because whistleblower policy does not have the force of law.

“The government is interested in fighting corruption, and the law does not target any person,” Afolabi stressed.

He noted that the immediate past assembly couldn’t pass whistleblower bills with them into law because of timing, adding that this time, “I’m optimistic whistleblower legislation is a reality.”

The Minister also urged Nigerians to support the government’s efforts to fight corruption while hailing AFRICMIL, PRIMORG and other CSOs for lending their voices towards legislation for whistleblowing.

The Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, said whistleblower legislation would be a legacy for President Bola Tinubu’s administration if achieved, adding that Nigerians who are willing to expose corrupt acts are deterred by a lack of laws to protect whistleblowers.

Speaking on the forthcoming Policy Roundtable on Whistleblower Protection Law, Onumah revealed that it is an advocacy put together by AFRICMIL in collaboration with PRIMORG and other civil society groups to “develop key ideas and strategies to put whistleblowing and the passage of a whistleblower protection law in Nigeria on the front burner of the national conversation.”

“Among other things, participants will take stock of the situation of whistleblowing and whistleblowers in Nigeria, the current position of the draft whistleblower protection law, as well as challenges and opportunities in the quest to have a whistleblower protection law in Nigeria,” Onumah stated.

Stakeholders expected at the policy roundtable are drawn from civil society organizations, media, the National Assembly, public interest lawyers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.

Meanwhile, other participants at the town hall meeting underscored the importance of strengthening the anti-corruption fight with whistleblower legislation while urging federal lawmakers to prioritize the passage of whistleblower protection law.

According to Legal practitioner Godwin Chigbu, “Without a whistleblower protection law, the existing policy will not be adequately executed. President Tinubu needs whistleblower law to recover stolen funds belonging to Nigeria”.

On his part, a journalist with TheCable, Gyep Shibayan, asked the National Assembly to give the enactment of a whistleblower protection law accelerated attention.

The Radio Town Hall meeting series is aimed at increasing citizens’ active participation and involvement and encouraging the government to institutionalize the whistleblowing policy.

The program runs with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

End.

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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs

Published

6 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

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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