EFCC say new whistleblower policy fit make pesin multi-millionaire, but how similar policies work for past?

Di chairman of Nigeria anti-corruption agency, di Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), don announce anoda whistleblower policy wey dem tok say fit make pipo "multi-millionaire in your lifetime".

According to statement wey di EFCC release on Wednesday, oga Ola Olukoyede make di announcement wen e dey deliver lecture for di International Symposium on Economic Crime for Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Olukoyede tok say anybodi wey fit give di EFCC information wey go help dem recova moni wey pipo tiff from Nigeria and keep for abroad, dat pesin fit get betwin 2.5 percent and five percent of di total amount wey dem recover.

"Dis na incentive wey we don put in place to encourage pipo to come forward to give information about stolen assets. You neva know, if you give any information hia, some of you fit leave dis place, multi-millionaire in your lifetime," Olukoyede tok, according to di statement.

Buhari 2016 whistleblower policy

Di EFCC chairman, Olukoyede, no exactly tok weda dis im announcement na new policy, abi na continuation of di whistleblower policy wey don dey on ground since wen Muhammadu Buhari be di president of Nigeria.

For di Federal Executive Council meeting of 21 December 2016, just over one year afta e bicom president, Buhari approve five percent reward to encourage pipo to report financial crimes and oda big corruption mata.

Kemi Adeosun, di Minister of Finance dat time, tell tori pipo afta dat FEC meeting say di policy go be joinbodi project of di finance ministry and di office of di Attorney-General of di Federation,

Adeosun describe di policy as "stop-gap initiative" wey go dey in place until di National Assembly go officially pass law on whistleblowing.

Di govment den set up one portal for di website of di Ministry of Finance, plus email and phone number wia pipo fit send di information wey dem get.

However, e get conditions bifor pesin wey give information fit qualify for di moni wey govment promise.

Dat condition be say di whistleblower must provide information wey govment no already get access to and wey dem no fit get from any public available source.

Later, for 2022, President Buhari tok say e go move di policy from di Ministry of Finance and AGF office to di Public Complaints Commission, bicos na dat agency e suppose dey.

How much govment recova from whistleblowing

Over di years, several top govment officers don give out different amount wey dem tok say govment bin recover from di whistleblower policy.

For May 29 2018, during im Democracy Day national broadcast, President Buhari tok say im govment don recova more dan 500 billion naira from di policy.

But for November of 2017, di EFCC chairman dat time, Ibrahim Magu bin don announce say di agency recova 739 billion naira in di two years of Buhari presidency, dat na from 2015 to 2017.

E no clear weda dis amount wey Magu tok, na di total moni wey EFCC recova abi na just di one wey dem recova sake of di whistleblowing policy.

Den again, Kemi Adeosun, di Minister of Finance dat time bin also announce a different amount. Adeosun tok say as at di end of March 2018, di monis wey govment recova tru information by whistleblowers na: 7.8 billion naira, 378 million dollars and 27,800 pounds. Di total amount for naira na 143 billion.

She tok say di figures na from di work of di Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA).

Di Ministry of Finance later release statement to tok say e get small error of reconciliation betwin dia figures and di one wey di EFCC bin report, and say dem go fix am, but dem no later give any oda update.

More recently, for August 2024, di immediate past Minister of Finance, oga Wale Edun, tok say di total moni wey di Buhari govment bin recova from di whistleblowing policy, from 2017 to 2023 na:

Big breakthroughs

One of di ogbonge successes of di whistleblower policy na for April 2017 wen di EFCC recova 43.4 million dollars, 27,800 pounds and 23.2 million naira for one house for Ikoyi, Lagos.

Di commission tok say na one whistleblower give dem informate about how one woman wey dey wear rough clothes, dey always carry 'Ghana-must-go' bags inside di 7th floor of di building.

"She dey here looking haggard and wit dirty clothes but her skin dey veri fresh and e no look like her outward appearance, maybe na disguise," di EFCC tok say di whistleblower tell dem

Anoda big cash recovery by di EFCC na for February 2017, for Kaduna State wia officials of di commission discova 9.8 million dollars and 74,000 pounds for fire-proof safe inside one bungalow wey dey for ghetto area.

Di moni belong to former oga kpatakpata of di Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu.

However, for March 2022, di Federal High Court for Abuja discharge and acquit oga Yakubu of di six-count charge of moni laundering wey di EFCC sama am, afta e explain say di moni na gifts wey im friends don dey give am ova di years, and e just dey gada am to take open business wen e retire.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed tok say e no be crime to receive cash gifts, except if di gift pass five million naira. And di EFCC no do dia investigation well to find out who be di friends wey allegedly dash Yakubu moni, and how much dem dash am.

Di court rule say make di EFCC return di moni to di defendant bicos e no break any law.

How much govment don pay whistleblowers?

For one statement by di Federal Ministry of Finance for June 2017, di finance minister dat time Kemi Adeosun, tok say govment don pay out more dan 375.8 million naira to 20 pipo wey give dem information unda di whistleblower policy.

She tok say di information from di 20 pipo help govment recova moni wey pass 11.6 billion naira.

By November of dat 2017, di payment to whistleblowers don rise to 421.3 million naira, and by May of 2018, di moni don reach 439.3 million wey Mrs Adeosun tok say govment share for 14 whistle blowers.

According to her, di informate wey govment bin get from dem lead to di recovery of a total of 14.8 billion from companies wey bin dey dodge to pay tax, or dem dey forge dia account reports to dey pay small tax to govment.

However, in oda to protect di whistleblowers, govment no dey usually publish di names of di pipo wey don benefit from dis policy.

Also, e no dey clear weda govment get public database wia dem dey publish how much wey dem don recover sake of information from whistleblowers, or how much in total dem don pay out to di whistleblowers.