The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at Top View Hotel, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja., held a training workshop for journalists titled” The Role of Journalists in Promoting Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection in Nigeria”.
Declaring the workshop open, Chido Onumah, Co-ordinator of AFRICMIL, said the aim is to facilitate among journalists a better understanding of the concept of whistleblowing as a good governance tool. The goal is to instil in journalists the need to consistently promote the culture of whistleblowing and ensure protection for whistleblowers who face attacks for reporting corruption and other wrongdoing.
In his presentation titled “Understanding Nigeria’s Whistleblowing Policy “, Johnson Oludare of the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) noted that the relationship between journalism and whistleblowers is mutual, beneficial and an important tool to protect human rights, fight against corruption and strengthen democracy.
According to Oludare, there is a need for the journalist to equip himself with the relevant laws to guide and advise whistleblowers accordingly.
Presenting a paper on a review of the whistleblowing bill, 2023, a lawyer and Principal Partner, Godwin Chigbu & Associates, Godwin Chigbu Esq, stated that the principles of the operation of a proper whistleblower regime which included confidentiality, stand-alone legislation, remedy for reprisal victims, amongst others. He also gave a detailed structure of the bill which includes but is not limited to the appointment of the director and other staff of the national office, referral of disclosure, reward and compensation, offences and penalties, amongst others.
In his paper presentation, Austin Okhiria Agbonsuremi, Executive Director, of PRIMORG, said that Journalists will be direct beneficiaries of the whistleblower protection law.
He further said that all hands are on deck in ensuring whistleblowing gets 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.
In addition, he applauded the notion of actively educating lawmakers, the federal government, civil society organisations, and the general public about Nigeria’s persistent lack of whistleblower laws.
The workshop featured questions, answers and observations from resource persons and participants. Participants came out richer with a resolve to work towards a stronger whistleblowing and whistleblower protection regime in Nigeria.
