ANEEJ Welcomes EFCC’s Global Whistleblower Incentive, Calls for Transparent Framework and Strong Protection

ABUJA, NIGERIA – August 27, 2026… The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has welcomed and endorses the initiative announced by the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, offering incentives to individuals who provide credible and actionable intelligence leading to the recovery of Nigerian assets stolen and hidden abroad.

Speaking at the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime in the United Kingdom, Mr. Olukoyede invited whistleblowers worldwide to provide information about monetary and non-monetary assets linked to corrupt Nigerians. He announced that successful whistleblowers could receive between 2.5 and 5 per cent of the value of assets recovered through their information.

ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, in a statement said: “We welcome and endorse the EFCC Chairman’s initiative. When people who expose stolen assets are protected and fairly rewarded, whistleblowing can become a legitimate public-interest enterprise that turns information into accountability and recovered wealth into benefits for victims of corruption.”

Rev. Ugolor said the initiative, if properly designed and transparently managed, could transform the fight against corruption into a modern public-interest enterprise that mobilises citizens and professionals to identify stolen assets, rewards those who take risks to expose corruption and ultimately restores recovered wealth to victims and communities affected by corruption.

He noted that the initiative could become a powerful weapon against kleptocracy in Nigeria, but stressed that its credibility and success would depend on the existence of a clear, publicly accessible and legally grounded framework.

“If this initiative is anchored in law and managed with transparency, independent oversight and strong whistleblower protection, it could become a bulletproof mechanism against kleptocracy. But the public must understand the rules. The EFCC should publish the policy, establish secure reporting channels and provide regular information on recoveries, reward payments and the use of recovered assets,” Rev. Ugolor said.

ANEEJ therefore calls on the EFCC to publish the policy and operational guidelines governing the initiative. The framework should clearly define who qualifies as a whistleblower and what information is eligible; how intelligence will be submitted, assessed and verified; how the value of recovered assets and applicable rewards will be calculated; when and through what process rewards will be paid; and how whistleblowers’ identities, safety and confidentiality will be protected.

The framework should also establish safeguards against conflicts of interest, false claims and abuse of the incentive system, as well as provide a clear review or appeal mechanism where a reward claim is rejected. It should clarify the relationship between the new initiative and Nigeria’s existing Federal Government Whistleblowing Policy and provide for independent auditing and public reporting of its implementation and payments.

ANEEJ further calls for secure and confidential reporting channels accessible to whistleblowers both within and outside Nigeria. Strong safeguards must be established against retaliation, intimidation, dismissal, prosecution or physical harm. Nigeria also urgently needs comprehensive whistleblower protection legislation to give statutory backing to these safeguards.

The ANEEJ helmsman stresses that recovered assets must not simply disappear into government accounts without transparent identification, management and utilisation. The ultimate beneficiaries should be the Nigerian people, particularly communities and individuals harmed by corruption. Information on recoveries, reward payments and the use of recovered assets should therefore be published regularly, subject only to legitimate confidentiality and investigative restrictions.

ANEEJ welcomes the reported progress made by the EFCC in recovering cash and assets suspected to be proceeds of corruption. However, forfeiture and recovery are only part of the accountability chain. Nigerians must know what has been recovered, from whom, under which legal process, where the assets are held and how they are ultimately utilised.

He said ANEEJ stands ready to engage with the EFCC, relevant government institutions, civil society organisations and international partners to help develop a credible whistleblower incentive and protection framework consistent with international best practices.

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