The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy
(AFRICMIL), could not hide its excitement at the weekend following the voiding
of suspension of Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin by the House of Representatives,
reports ITRealms.
The court, ITRealms
also reports, had ordered that all the salaries due to him be paid for the
period he was suspended.
AFRICMIL described the judgment handed down May 24, 2018, by
Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, as the triumph of
constitutional democracy and an enduring affirmation of the sanctity of the
protection of whistleblowers.
In a statement, Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, noted
that, “It is regrettable that the judgment is coming so late in the day, yet we
are delighted that it vindicates good reason as it met the expectations of the
teeming lovers and advocates of justice, fairness, equity, and transparent and
accountable governance.”
He said it was incontestable that Jibrin’s disclosure of
budget fraud in the lower arm of the National Assembly was a patriotic act of
whistleblowing done in the interest of the public.
According to Onumah, “Every citizen is legally and morally
obliged to report crime. Section 24(b) and (e) of the 1999 constitution as
amended empower citizens to do so, and this is much more compelling in a
society like Nigeria where rampant corruption at every facet of national life
has been identified as the major reason Nigeria has remained under-developed.”
Onumah expressed regret that despite repeated pledges of protecting
whistleblowers by top government officials and political office holders,
reprisals are routinely being visited upon whistleblowers by persons or groups
desperate to cover up improper behaviour. He recalled the cases of Ntia
Thompson, an Assistant Director in the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in
Africa (DTCA), an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Murtala Ibrahim,
an auditor at the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN); Aaron Kaase,
Principal Administrative Officer at the Police Service Commission (PSC) and
Joseph Akeju, Chief Lecturer in the department of accountancy, Yaba College of
Technology.
According to Onumah, “All were punished for exposing fraud
in their offices. Except Kaase who was suspended without pay, all others were
sacked. Although Thompson and Kaase were recalled after many months, Ibrahim
and Akeju are still battling to go back to their jobs.”
Jibrin’s case is the second after Kaase’s that a court of
competent jurisdiction will deliver judgment in favour of the protection of
whistleblowers and the legitimacy of whistleblowing as a mechanism for
enhancing good governance in the society.
Onumah noted that the protection of whistleblowers from all
forms of victimization was important for the success of the whistleblower
policy. “Unless people are assured of safety and protection, they will not find
the courage to blow the whistle on misconduct,” Onumah said.
Although Jibrin was suspended for 181 days, he served 231
days in suspension. His victory at the court came after 20 months of a winding
legal battle.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
Pix: Hon. Jubrin
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