The Senate has passed the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, 2017. The Bill protects from reprisals, persons who make disclosures for public interest, and protects their identity in the investigation of such matters from being disclosed.

Presenting the report at the plenary session of Wednesday, 19 July 2017, Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Sen. David Umaru (APC: Niger) informed the Senate that the Committee adopted a legislative framework that allowed for the conduct of a public hearing to avail interested members of the public the opportunity to make contributions on the merits, justifications and any other matters incidental to the proposed legislation.

Sen. Umaru in his submissions stated that the objective of the Bill is to:

• Encourage and facilitate disclosures of improper conducts by persons, public officers and corporate bodies;
• Ensure that matters disclosed are properly investigated and handled appropriately in accordance with the law;
• Ensure adequate protection for the whistle blower against reprisals, victimization, humiliation and intimidation; and
• Create a legal framework that contemplates financial reward for any disclosure that leads to discovery and recovery of funds, properties, etc. to serve as an incentive for potential whistle blowers.

In addition, he stated that the Committee had taken into consideration the contributions of Senators during the deliberations on the Bill and submissions from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) such as the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), and other relevant stakeholders, from which it observed that:

• All stakeholders who had made submissions and presentations at the Committee’s public hearing had supported the passage of the Bill as it will strengthen the fight against corruption and reinforce government’s policy on whistle blowing;
• The Bill, if enacted will guarantee adequate protection for whistle blowers;
• The Bill will serve as a comprehensive legislation for addressing issues attributed to whistle blowing in line with global best practices.

Lastly, he noted that the Committee had amended the Long Title and inserted 8 new Clauses in the Bill before recommending for the Senate’s approval.

Click here to view the amendments and the full report of the Committee