Reps Grant Whistleblowers Immunity The House of Representatives yesterday approved a legislation which will protect ‘whistle blowers’ against civil and criminal action for public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing in government and private concerns. Federal lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously passed 34 clauses contained in the report of the House Committee on Justice, Public Interest Disclosure (Protection) Bill, 2013. However, for false disclosure, the bill provides for one-year imprisonment with no option of fine. If signed into law by the president, Nigeria will join over several countries that have now adopted comprehensive whistleblower protection laws which create mechanisms for reporting, investigate reports, and provide legal protections to the people who informed them. Over 50 countries have adopted more limited protections as part of their anti-corruption, freedom of information, or employment laws. Speaking in dissent, lawmakers led by the deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor, warned against giving too much protection to whistle blowers, in view of reported cases of abuses recorded in other climes. The House Minority Leader/Leader of Opposition, Femi Gbajabiamila, however, tagged opposition to the Public Interest Disclosure (Protectioon) Bill “out of place.” Gbajabiamila argued that expunging clauses providing protection for whistleblower from civil and criminal action would discourage the essence whistleblowing. In detail, the bill provides that a person who makes aa disclosure shall not be subjected to victimisation by the employer of the person or by a fellow employee or by another person because a disclosure has been made. The bill also provides that where the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the course of inquiry is of the opinion that the person who makes a disclosure is in need of legal assistance, the Commission should obtain legal aid from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria of any other institutiion sanctioned by the Commission. The bill also provide funds for payment of monetary rewards to “persons who make the disclosure in the interest of the public.” In the case of abuses, the bill provides that where a person to whom a disclosure is made fails to keep confidential the disclosure, the person commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than N100,000 and not more than N200,000 or to a term of imprisonment of not less than four years or to both. For government and private officials who investigate reported cases of an impropriety and conceals or suppresses evidence, the bill provide a maximum five years imprisonment. #Leadership
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 05:55:00 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015