By Michael Oche
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), alongside Nigerian workers led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has called for stronger legislation to protect whistleblowers and more decisive action against corruption and kleptocracy in Nigeria.
The workers made the call on Thursday during separate engagements with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Assembly, where they canvassed stronger institutional and legislative measures to combat corruption, recover stolen public resources and protect citizens who expose wrongdoing.
The engagements formed part of broader efforts by African workers with support from Solidarity Centre, to strengthen the fight against corruption and promote governance systems that protect public resources and advance the interests of working people.
The delegation, which included representatives of trade unions and workers’ organisations from across Africa, civil society organisations and the media, said corruption and the diversion of public resources continued to widen inequality gap, undermine workers’ rights, social protection, decent work and sustainable development across the continent.
Speaking during the visit to the EFCC, ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, urged the anti-graft agency to strengthen collaboration with organised labour and civil society in the fight against corruption, stressing that workers and whistleblowers should not be exposed to retaliation for reporting corrupt practices.
Odigie said Africa’s underdevelopment was not due to a lack of resources or manpower but largely the result of poor management and diversion of the continent’s wealth.
He renewed the call for the enactment of a comprehensive whistleblower protection law in Nigeria, arguing that policies alone could not provide adequate protection for citizens who expose corruption.
He said, “No matter how strong a policy is, there needs to be a law to push that policy.”
He said further, “If you can plug the loopholes through legislation, legislation can play a big role, and your oversight can equally play a big role.”
According to him, what currently exists is largely an executive policy, which does not provide sufficient legal protection for whistleblowers.
Odigie said, “the fight will only gain traction, support, ownership and momentum when it is stripped of politics.”
He argued that without adequate legal protection, people would be reluctant to expose corrupt practices for fear of victimisation or other consequences.
Odigie said ITUC-Africa had, for over a decade, campaigned against illicit financial flows, massive inequality and poverty across Africa, noting that the problems were being worsened by illicit financial flows, tax evasion and diversion of public resources by corrupt political elites.
He also raised concerns over tax evasion by businesses, saying the practice further weakened government revenue and affected the country’s ability to finance development.
Nigerian Pilot reports that the National Assembly had previously considered legislation on whistleblower protection, but the proposed law did not ultimately become an enacted law.
EFCC seeks stronger labour collaboration
Responding, EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, acknowledged that Nigeria and several other African countries were grappling with illicit financial flows.
Uwujaren said the EFCC had recorded significant recoveries and arrests as part of efforts to tackle kleptocracy and financial crimes, but stressed that the commission could not fight corruption alone.
He said the cooperation of other institutions and stakeholders, including organised labour, was critical to the success of the anti-corruption campaign.
Uwujaren described whistleblowing as a critical tool in the fight against corruption, recalling that some of the commission’s major achievements in 2016 were facilitated by a vibrant whistleblowing policy.
He, however, acknowledged that the momentum generated by the policy had declined, stressing the need to strengthen public participation in the fight against corruption.
He appealed to the NLC to intensify public enlightenment campaigns among civil servants on the dangers and consequences of corruption.
Uwujaren also expressed optimism that stronger collaboration with organised labour would help the EFCC regain some of the effectiveness associated with its earlier years.
NLC: Workers can help EFCC uncover corruption
Also speaking, Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, called for the revival of what he described as the previous cordial relationship between the labour centre and the EFCC, saying both organisations shared a common vision in the fight against corruption.
Upah said Nigerian workers had access to information that could assist the EFCC in its investigations and potentially reduce the time and resources required to uncover financial crimes.
He said kleptocracy was depriving both present and future generations of decent living conditions.
According to him, corruption was also contributing to the country’s worsening insecurity, as funds allocated to national security and defence could be diverted by corrupt officials.
Upah argued that the EFCC required stronger powers to effectively discharge its mandate without interference, adding that the NLC was prepared to support advocacy efforts in that regard.
He also warned that Nigeria could not continue to depend on foreign aid, arguing that excessive dependence on external assistance could contribute to weak institutions and entrench corruption.
He appealed to the EFCC to discharge its responsibilities with a clear conscience and resist political interference.
Workers take campaign to Senate
The delegation subsequently met with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, where it advocated legislative reforms to provide comprehensive protection for whistleblowers and strengthen mechanisms for reporting and investigating corruption.
Odigie, who led the delegation, argued that whistleblowing should not be treated merely as an individual act of exposing corruption but as an important component of public accountability and democratic governance.
“Our people should be able to report safely and securely. So the question is how do we look at the law to strengthen it and protect them?” he queried.
He urged lawmakers to ensure that whistleblowers were protected from victimisation, intimidation, dismissal, harassment and other forms of retaliation.
He said, “The oversight responsibility of the Senate remains a critical instrument in the fight against corruption.”
The delegation also called for stronger measures to tackle kleptocracy, describing the capture and diversion of public resources for private benefit as a major threat to development and workers’ welfare.
According to Odigie, resources lost to corruption could otherwise be invested in public services, job creation, healthcare, education, social protection and infrastructure.
He therefore urged the government and relevant institutions to make the recovery of stolen assets and prosecution of those responsible for large-scale corruption a priority.
The workers stressed that the fight against corruption must go beyond rhetoric and periodic investigations, insisting that institutions must be sufficiently independent, transparent and accountable to deliver sustainable results.
They also advocated stronger cooperation between trade unions, anti-corruption agencies, lawmakers and civil society organisations to ensure that workers have safe and credible channels through which they can report corruption and abuse of public resources.
The delegation said organised labour had an important role to play in promoting transparency and accountability, given its presence across the public and private sectors.
Responding, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Senator Diket Plang, welcomed the delegation and assured the workers of the committee’s commitment to advancing policies and legislation that protect workers’ rights.
Plang said his committee’s mandate was closely aligned with the concerns raised by the delegation, particularly the protection of workers and the promotion of their rights.
According to him, “All the workforce, they need to be protected. They need to be sure that nobody is molested. Their rights must be given to them.”
The senator said the Senate had remained receptive to issues concerning labour and workers’ welfare, assuring the delegation that he would continue to raise such matters before the Senate President and at plenary whenever necessary.
He cited the passage of the minimum wage legislation as evidence of the National Assembly’s commitment to addressing workers’ concerns within the shortest possible time.
Plang, however, stressed that workers’ welfare must be pursued alongside the interests of employers, arguing that a healthy relationship between both sides was essential to sustainable economic development.
“Our work is not just for the employees, but also the employer. Both must be protected,” he said, adding that there should be a “symbiotic relationship where the employer and the employee both benefit, not the employer at the detriment of the employee, nor the employee at the detriment of the employer.”
On the demand for stronger whistleblower protection, Plang assured the delegation that the Senate would be willing to work on the relevant legislation if the anti-corruption authorities and other stakeholders considered it necessary.
He said, “If the EFCC and some other organisations feel that this bill that was formed needs to be activated, I want to assure you that whatever way we can, the Senate will work within the shortest time possible to see to the bill.”
The senator also expressed appreciation to organised labour for its continued engagement with the National Assembly, saying such interactions provided an opportunity for lawmakers and workers’ representatives to deepen their understanding of issues affecting the workforce.
