20 Whistleblowers Get N375.8million Pay

The Ministry of Finance confirmed that The federal government on Wednesday said it had released about N375.8 million for payment of 20 whistleblowers who provided information that led to the recovery over N11.6 billion.

The Ministry also confirmed that the payments were the first ever under the whistleblower policy.

The government did not disclose the identities of the beneficiaries, apparently for security reasons.

“This payment is the first under the Whistleblower Policy,” the Minister for Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said in the statement.

“The payment underscores the commitment of the President Muhmmadu Buhari-led administration to meet its obligations to information providers under the Whistleblower Policy, which is an essential tool in the fight against corruption.”

The minister said recent amendments to the Whistleblower Policy of the government include the introduction of a formal legal agreement between information providers and the Federal Government. The agreement is executed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.

In line with the policy, each whistleblower would be entitled to a minimum of five percent of the money involved in the corruption case reported.

The payment of the money would, however, be made after the successful recovery of the affected sum to government coffers, while informants whose info provide a false hint, risk prosecution, and jail.