The Federal Government has denied withholding the payment due to the whistle-blower that provided a tip-off to the recovery of funds stashed away in a property in Ikoyi , Lagos earlier this year.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun said in a press statement on Sunday that contrary to some media reports that the FG had withheld the fund, it was only following due process.
Adeosun explained that her ministry has to follow due process to avoid abuse and protection of the whistle-blowers.
“The Ministry has in place detailed procedures for processing payments due under the Whistleblower Policy. The procedures were designed to prevent abuse and legal disputes and to ensure the protection of the information providers.
“These procedures include an application by the agency who recovered the funds including evidence of the recovery, confirmation that there are no pending legal issues on the recovery, verification of the identity of the information provider, calculation of the amount payable and computation of relevant taxes,” she said.
Her Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Mr Oluyinka Akintunde, reiterated Adeosun’s call that the Whistle-blowing policy of the FG remains one of the most successful initiatives of this administration.
The statement read in part, “The Minister reiterates that the Whistleblowing Policy of the Federal Government remains one of the current Administration’s successful initiatives and that the Government is fully committed to ensuring that all those who responded to the policy and partnered with Government in the recovery effort are paid in full and most importantly have their identity protected.”
