Whistle-Blowing Policy and Anti-Corruption War in Nigeria, 2016-2024
Article Sidebar
Page Numbers:
669-687
Digital Object Identifier:
Viewed: 3 times
Downloaded: 1 times
LYAS Publisher cordially invites qualified professionals to serve as Editors or Reviewers. Your expertise will make an important contribution to maintaining and strengthening the academic quality of our publications. Interested applicants are kindly requested to complete the application form at the following link: Editors & Reviewers
Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information about the submission process or if you have any additional questions.
Authors:Emmanuel Mopa Letsuwa1*, Philip Terzungwe Vande2, Segun Oshewolo3
Copyright :Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
Main Article Content
Abstract
Corruption remains a persistent governance challenge in Nigeria, undermining public trust, economic development, and institutional effectiveness. Among the anti-corruption measures adopted by successive governments, the Whistle-Blowing Policy introduced in 2016 represents an important mechanism for detecting misconduct and recovering misappropriated public assets. This study examines the policy’s contribution to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts between 2016 and 2024, focusing on public accountability, asset recovery, and institutional strengthening. Guided by institutional theory, the study employed a qualitative research design based on documentary analysis of policy documents, official reports, and relevant academic literature. The findings indicate that the policy contributed to exposing corrupt practices and recovering stolen public funds. However, its effectiveness and institutionalisation were constrained by inadequate legal foundations, insufficient protection for whistle-blowers, political interference, and weak coordination among anti-corruption agencies. These institutional deficiencies reduced public confidence, discouraged potential disclosures, and limited the policy’s capacity to generate sustainable anti-corruption outcomes. The study concludes that whistle-blowing remains a potentially powerful instrument for strengthening public accountability in Nigeria, but its long-term viability depends on comprehensive legal reform, stronger institutional safeguards for whistle-blowers, improved interagency coordination, and renewed political commitment. The study contributes to anti-corruption and governance scholarship by demonstrating how institutional conditions shape the implementation and effectiveness of whistle-blowing policies.
Citation Metrics:
Downloads
Citation Metrics & Similar Scopus Articles
-
Shukla G. (2027)Advancing urban solar integration: Performance and policy analysis of BIPV systems in IndiaUnconventional Resources, 18
-
Siringoringo L.P. (2027)Overcoming geothermal development barriers in Indonesia: A narrative policy review of sedimentary basin-based geothermal developmentUnconventional Resources, 17
-
Vincy M.V. (2027)Short-term variability in sediment carbon sequestration in tropical Indian Wetlands: Physicochemical controls and policy relevanceEnvironmental Pollution and Management, 4, 14-26
Article Details
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
References
Adebanwi, W. (2018a). The political economy of anti-corruption reforms in Nigeria. African Affairs, 117(469), 423–444.
Adebanwi, W. (2018b). Rethinking anti-corruption reforms in Nigeria: Institutions, norms, and political economy. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 36(4), 543–562.
Agbiboa, D. (2020a). Corruption and anti-corruption in Nigeria: Exploring the limits of whistle-blowing policy. African Journal of Governance and Development, 9(2), 112–130.
Agbiboa, D. (2020b). Whistle-blowing and anti-corruption reforms in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 55(6), 843–858.
Bovens, M. (2007). Analysing and assessing accountability: A conceptual framework. European Law Journal, 13(4), 447–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0386.2007.00378.x
Dworkin, T. M. (2007). SOX and whistleblowing. Michigan Law Review, 105(8), 1757–1780.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. (2018). Annual report 2018.
Klitgaard, R. (1988). Controlling corruption. University of California Press.
March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1989). Rediscovering institutions: The organizational basis of politics. Free Press.
Near, J. P., & Miceli, M. P. (1985). Organizational dissidence: The case of whistle-blowing. Journal of Business Ethics, 4(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382668
North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678
OECD. (2016). Committing to effective whistleblower protection. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264252639-en
Oluwatobi, S., & Lawal, A. (2019). Whistle-blowing and asset recovery in Nigeria: Policy effectiveness and challenges. Journal of Financial Crime, 26(3), 745–761.
Oluwatobi, S., & Lawal, T. (2019). Public sector accountability and whistleblowing in Nigeria. African Journal of Public Affairs, 11(3), 56–72.
Rose-Ackerman, S., & Palifka, B. J. (2016). Corruption and government: Causes, consequences, and reform (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139962933