Whistle Blower Policy Generates N9.12b-FG

The implementation of the whistle blower policy of the Federal Government has so far raked in N9.12 billion into government coffers.

A breakdown by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday gave the figures as N7.8 billion, $378 million and 27,800 pounds even as controversy has continued to dog the policy, which came into effect in 2017.

Briefing State House Correspondents yesterday, Adeosun was however silent on how much the government has dolled out as commission to some of the whistle blowers who made the recoveries possible.

“I gave an update on whistle blowing policy which was another memorandum approved by FEC – the number of tips we have had, the number of investigations we have dealt with, the types of monies that have been recovered through the whistleblower policy.’’

Meanwhile, the Federal Government recorded another milestone in the fight against bloated personnel costs, as 511 agencies are now into its integrated payroll, with a further savings of N68 billion.

The development, according to government, has put the aggregate savings on personnel costs since 2007 to date to N288 billion.

The Minister of Finance affirmed that the 511 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had been captured under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), with staff count of 607,843.

Adeosun made the disclosure in her presentation titled “Status update on the implementation of Federal Executive Council approved projects,” during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, yesterday, in Abuja.

She said the savings were funds that would have otherwise, gone unaccounted for, adding that they are available for the government to fund capital projects.

The minister added that the introduction of the IPPIS had resulted in the reduction of ghost workers syndrome, enforcement of compliance with due process on employment of staff in MDAs, and prompt and timely payment of salaries and remittances of third parties payments.

The minister noted that the savings were achieved despite increase in the number of personnel, including the employment of 10,000 officials by the Nigerian Police.

She noted further that the IPPIS had become an assured source of internally generated revenue through payee to states and the Federal Government.

The minister called for adequate funding of the IPPIS project to achieve it’s lofty objectives and to enable replacement of the obsolete infrastructure, as well as the need for a legislation to impose sanctions on non-compliant MDAs to achieve speedy and successful service delivery.

The FEC also approved N6.972, 986,898 billion for the provision of security equipment and associated infrastructure for the United Nations (UN) building currently under construction in Abuja.

The building which hitherto housed all the ‎UN agencies in Abuja was bombed by terrorists, a development which almost destroyed the entire structure as well as led to the loss of lives.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello explained that the contract was awarded to Julius Berger .