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Pressure Mounts On Tinubu’s Govt To Prioritise Enactment Of Whistleblower Protection Law

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2023

Joel Ajayi

There have been fresh calls for President Bola Tinubu-led administration to reintroduce and push for the speedy passage of the ‘botched’ Whistleblower Bill into law.

The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG) and other civil society organizations had been advocating on different fora for the Tinubu-led Executive and the Legislature to prioritize the passage of whistleblower protection law after a failed attempt during the 9th National Assembly.

The latest call was made by a Program Officer, CLEEN Foundation, Nnamdi Odo, during an anti-corruption radio programme, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Odo urged the Federal Government to get the Whistleblower Bill passed as soon as possible, given its importance in the fight against corruption, noting that a speedy passage of a law to protect persons who expose corrupt acts in the country is possible with the right attitude in place.

Advising the Tinubu’s administration, Odo said, “Let’s get this legislation passed and implement it. I think if the administration can achieve that in the shortest possible time, it will be a plus.

“It is not late for the government to say enough is enough to corrupt activities that have impacted negatively in Nigeria and across all sectors. It is not late if the government decides to wake up and say enough is enough. Let’s give the right attention whistleblowing deserves”.

Odo identified the lack of political will by previous administrations as a major hindrance to getting legislation that can adequately protect whistleblowers in Nigeria while urging anti-graft agencies of the government not to relent in taking action against numerous petitions and investigations brought to their notice by Nigerians every now and then.

“Lack of political will is a major hindrance, but it’s not supposed to be because when you have the National Assembly that has a majority of members from one political party, and you have the Executives on the same side of the political will, is there, Whistleblower Bill stands a high chance of being passed.

“if today we go to the EFCC or ICPC, you will see tons of petitions written by Nigerians; even though there is no whistleblower protection law, these anti-corruption agencies still receive petitions from courageous Nigerians, but the citizens can only stop at petitioning, and the onus of the investigation lies with these agencies and how fast they carry out these investigations is a story for another day,” He lamented.

On her part, the Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, AFRICMIL, Nkechi Ugwu, asked President Tinubu to take advantage of whistleblowing in tackling public sector corruption and consolidate his promises to Nigerians.

Worried by the malfeasance of public funds by political leaders, Ugwu urged the Federal Government to leverage the advocacy for whistleblowing law to block leakages in government, especially as Nigeria is struggling with the economy.

Ugwu said: “My advice is that President Tinubu should take advantage of this bill to consolidate his ‘renewed hope agenda’ because a lot has been happening regarding the economy. Nigerians are facing a lot more hardship since the removal of the subsidy. Nigeria is also known for borrowing, so President Tinubu needs to leverage the passing of the Whistleblower Bill.”

She encouraged citizens to have a positive mindset on whistleblowing and also lauded the efforts of civil society groups in advocating for whistleblower protection laws over the years.

“If Nigeria goes bad, it affects everybody. So when we come out to blow the whistle, we should come out with all honesty and commitment, seeing it as a responsibility rather than looking out for the money. The reward is just a motivation,” Ugwu stated.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

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“Youth Minister Visits Innoson to Boost Youth Training and Job Creation”

Published

22 hours ago

October 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya, and members of the Ministry’s team, paid a working visit to Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) in Nnewi, Anambra State.

The delegation was warmly received by Chief Innocent Chukwuma (OFR), Chairman and CEO of the Innoson Group, whose humility and steadfast commitment to Nigeria’s industrial growth remain a source of national pride.

The Minister commended Innoson’s pioneering role in local innovation and job creation, particularly its ventures in CNG vehicle production, tractor assembly, and other industrial initiatives that present vast opportunities for youth empowerment.

During the tour, the Honourable Minister interacted with young Nigerians who have benefited from Innoson’s technical training and apprenticeship programmes, including two outstanding young women now excelling as auto-technicians.

Their stories, he noted, exemplify the transformative power of skill acquisition and enterprise in shaping a self-reliant generation.
As an outcome of the visit, the Ministry will partner with Innoson to expand youth training, apprenticeship, and enterprise development programmes across the country, focusing on the automotive value chain and allied sectors.

The Minister also met with the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Patrick Agha Mba, to explore joint efforts between the federal and state governments in advancing the “1 Youth, 2 Skills” campaign. Both ministries reaffirmed their shared commitment to equipping young Nigerians with practical, income-generating skills that foster productivity, innovation, and self-reliance.

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