Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open
\nletter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Geoffrey Onyeama\u00a0requesting
\nhim to use his \u201cleadership position to ensure and facilitate the immediate
\nand unconditional reinstatement of whistle-blower Ntia Thompson sacked
\nthrough a post on the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa\u2019s
\nnotice Board for exposing an alleged $229,000 fraud in the Ministry of
\nForeign Affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The organization urged Mr Onyeama to \u201cact swiftly to comply with the
\nwhistle-blowing policy of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari,
\nand international standards, which guarantee full protection and
\nrestitution for any whistle-blower against harassment, intimidation,
\nvictimisation or any form of retaliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
SERAP in the letter dated 10 March 2017 and signed by its deputy director The letter copied to Mr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB, reads in \u201cSERAP is seriously concerned that Mr Thompson\u2019s unfair treatment by the \u201cSERAP also believes that the allegations of fraud disclosed by Mr \u201cSERAP believes that protecting whistle-blowers encourages accountability, \u201cMr Thompson\u2019s public interest and whistle-blowing activity has made him \u201cThe right to receive information advances several principles that \u201cSERAP therefore urges you to use your leadership position to promote and \u201cSERAP urges you to encourage rather punish the practice of \u201cSERAP notes that article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and \u201cSERAP has been fully briefed by Ntia Thompson and we are in possession of \u201cMr. Ntia, an assistant director with the DTCA in charge of the SERVICOM \u201cThe NTCF is a trust fund domiciled with the African Development Bank, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Geoffrey Onyeama\u00a0requesting him to use his \u201cleadership position to ensure and facilitate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nTimothy Adewale said that, \u201cBy sacking Mr Thompson, your ministry would
\nseem to shield information on the alleged fraud that the public has a
\nright to know. Therefore, should you fail and\/or neglect to act as
\nrequested within seven days<\/span><\/span> after the receipt and\/or publication of this
\nletter, SERAP will be compelled to pursue appropriate legal action against
\nyour ministry to challenge the unfair treatment and victimisation of Mr
\nThompson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\npart: \u201cWe also urge you to act swiftly to identify those involved in the
\nalleged fraud and hand them over to appropriate anti-corruption agencies
\nfor further investigation and prosecution, as well as recover any stolen
\npublic funds. Impunity for reprisals against Mr Thompson would send a
\nmessage to all potential whistle-blowers that your ministry lacks the
\ncommitment to their protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nleadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply for disclosing
\nalleged fraud in the ministry is a fundamental violation of his right to
\nfreedom of expression, and breach of President Buhari\u2019s whistle-blowing
\npolicy, which seeks to protect individuals who make access to such
\nallegations possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThompson should never be supressed or withheld as a matter of public
\ninterest, transparency and respect for the rule of law. Harassing,
\nintimidating and punishing whistle-blowers creates disincentives for
\npublic disclosure of allegations of fraud and corruption and damages an
\nimportant tool of transparency and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nincreases the costs for those who might engage in fraud and corruption,
\nand advances the public\u2019s right to know. The alleged fraud involving
\nofficials of the DTCA should not be kept hidden from public view,
\nespecially given the government\u2019s whistle-blowing policy and the fact that
\nNigerians are entitled to a right to information of all kinds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nvulnerable to attack, hostility, punishment, and other forms of
\nretaliation. SERAP argues that Mr Thompson, like any other
\nwhistle-blowers, is entitled to the right to impart information, and ought
\nto be offered adequate legal protection because Nigerians have the right
\nto receive information such as on the allegations of fraud involving
\nsenior officials of your ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nunderlie human rights, encourage participation in public affairs, and
\nadvance the ability of individuals such as Mr Thompson to seek out
\ninformation of all kinds. Nigerians should enjoy access not only to
\ninformation about the policies and practices of the government, but also
\nto information about whistle-blowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nensure within your ministry a culture that values transparency,
\naccountability, and public participation and protection of whistle-blowers
\nby facilitating the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of Mr
\nThompson back to his position as assistant director with the DTCA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nwhistle-blowing by establishing within your ministry effective and
\nprotective channels for whistle-blowers to motivate remedial action, and
\neffective redress and protection against retaliation. Without protection
\nagainst retaliation and the possibility of redress, few would disclose
\nallegations of fraud and corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nPolitical Rights guarantees the right to seek, receive and impart
\ninformation and ideas regardless of frontiers. The African Charter on
\nHuman and Peoples\u2019 Rights enshrines the same right in its article 9, which
\nemphasizes that the freedom applies to information and ideas of all kinds.
\nSimilarly, the United Nations Convention against Corruption which Nigeria
\nhas ratified protects persons who report corruption offences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ndocuments including Mr Thompson\u2019s petition to the Economic and Financial
\nCrimes Commission, EFCC on allegations of fraud and corruption involving
\nsome top officials of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa,
\nDTCA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nUnit, was sacked on 7 February 2017 following his petition to the EFCC
\nthat $229,000 and N800, 000 were allegedly diverted by top officials of
\nthe DTCA. Although the money was withdrawn from the Nigerian Technical
\nCooperation Fund, NTCF, there was no evidence it was used for the purpose
\nit was meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAfDB, but jointly managed by the bank and the agency on behalf of the
\nFederal Government. According to our information, officials of the DTCA
\nwithdrew the money for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the
\nNTCF, for which $36,852.00 was allocated. The amount was also meant for
\nthe monitoring of various projects executed from the Trust Fund across
\nAfrica. N800, 000.00 was allegedly spent for SERVICOM \u201csensitization
\nseminar\u201d in the Directorate, which the EFCC has asked the officials
\ninvolved to return.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"