Whistle-blower Policy: FG Receives 2,251 Reports on Stolen Funds, Others

• Whistle-blower Policy: FG Receives 2,251 Reports on Stolen Funds, Others

The Federal Government said since the whistle-blower policy commenced in December last year, 2,251 cases have been reported so far.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, provided the details of the reported cases in a statement issued on Friday night by her Media Adviser, Mr. Festus Akanbi.

The minister, who said the communication includes enquiries, tips, compliments and general advice from the public, did not provide the amount so far recovered since the commencement of the policy.

A breakdown of the reports showed that 1,550 reports were made through phone calls, 412 through text messages, 195 through emails while the balance of 95 was done through the whistle-blower website.

Further breakdown showed that a total of 282 tips were provided by members of the public out of which 154 were actionable.

The tips provided by members of the public have to do with contract inflation and conversion of government assets to personal use, ghost workers, payment of unapproved funds, embezzlement of salaries of terminated personnel, improper reduction of financial penalties, and diversion of funds meant for distribution to a particular group of farmers.

There are also tips on the diversion of funds to personal commercial bank accounts to earn interest, non-remittance of pension and National Health Insurance Scheme deductions, failure to implement projects for which funds had been provided, and embezzlement of funds meant for the payment of personnel emoluments.

Similarly, there are cases of violation of Treasury Single Account regulations by keeping funds in commercial banks, violation of Value Added Tax regulation by adjusting VAT payment, non-procurement of equipment required for aviation safety, money laundering and diversion of funds meant for approved projects.

Others are illegal sale of government assets, diversion of Independent Generated Revenue, financial misappropriations, concealed bailout, mismanagement of Micro Finance Banks and illegal recruitments.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had last month stated that through the whistle-blower policy, the Federal Government had recovered $151m and N8bn looted funds.

He said the looted funds were recovered from just three sources who gave actionable information to the Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.

He said, “When we told Nigerians that there was a primitive and mindless looting of the national treasury under the last administration, some people called us liars.

“The whistle-blower policy is barely two months old and Nigerians have started feeling the impact, seeing how people squirrelled away public funds. Whatever has been recovered so far is just a tip of the iceberg.”