The Whistle Blower Policy
The newly introduced whistle blower policy by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari deserves our commendation. It is gratifying that it has started yielding the desired fruits through the restoration of confidence of investors in the Nigerian economy. Our country men and women should therefore open their eyes, avoid vindictiveness, ethnic jingoism, and corrupt behavior. We should seize this golden opportunity and assist the Muhammadu Buhari administration to reposition the bastardized economy as a result of the wanton and flagrant looting of our common patrimony in the recent past. In the same vein however, I wish to humbly appeal to Mr. President to deal with any culprit that messes up your very good intentions towards the welfare of Nigerians as evidenced by the administration’s magnanimity through the past bailouts to States and the ongoing London-Paris Club Loan Refund exercise. The latest refunds are directed by the government to assist the States solve peculiar and critical situations of unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities of helpless citizens. It is known that many retirees had died without laying their hands on their benefits either in the States or Local Government. Those alive have no iota of hope but with the coming of the Buhari administration where these lingering issues occupied the front burner.
Without fear of any contradiction, in my state for example, the local administration inherited more than #10billion liabilities of gratuity either way, in respect of State and the poor local government employees whose benefits were squandered in the dissolved local government pension board. We pray that the new handout would not be diverted to “more pressing economic areas” or simply frittered out of the landscape.
The dutiful Press has been awashed with stories and counter denials about the mechanism of release to the States of London-Paris Club Loan Refunds outside the Consolidated Revenue Fund accounts of the States by the fiscal administrators.
Nigerians are wonderful people, preferring to keep quite now until election period when such issues would certainly catapult the political ambitions of many gubernatorial candidates, their current structures on the ground notwithstanding.
It is our fervent prayers that before then the relevant anti-corruption agency must have completed its surgical operations and came out with its reports of successes.
On the heels of the whistle blower policy, it is observed with keen interest that from May, 2015 when the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board, the respectful bar and bench had not been on the same frequency with the administration. So much water has passed under the bridge but one must come out in support of the timely call from Dr. Wale Babalakin who ‘cautioned the Federal Government against the proposed appointment of some senior lawyers as Supreme Court Justices.’ Whoever sold this dummy to the Federal Government had betrayed the yearnings and aspirations of many Nigerians. How on earth could some individuals or personalities with alleged huge burden of making corruption in the society to be seen as a way of decent life which involved even some of their Lordships, come round to be justices of our Supreme Court? Even where those recommended had never had brushes with the law, having come from a deficient institution whose members are currently answering questions in the courts on allegations of corrupt practices alone disqualifies them from aspiring to occupy such high judicial appointment.
The erudite legal practitioner, Dr. Babalakin referred to precedence where Dr. Teslim Elias and Justice Jonathan Sumption were directly appointed to the Supreme Court from the Bar, it is preposterous if they have any equal in Nigeria today. Finally I congratulate President Muhammad Buhari’s foresight in accepting the recommendation of his Economic Team under his Vice President in coming up with the whistle blower policy and hope that the proceeds would be deployed to needy areas that even the blind could touch.
Abubakar Usman, rtd Permanent Secretary, Bauchi, abubakartirwun@ gmail.com