The Minister of Information and Culture on Tuesday disclosed that the Federal Government had recovered over N540 billion through the Whistle Blower Policy so far.
The minister, who gave this hint at the 71st General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
Specifically, he disclosed that as at May this year, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through the Whistle Blower Policy, had recovered over N527 Billion, $53 million, and £122,890.
Mohammed, who was represented at the forum by the Director, Public Relations and Protocol, of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Sunny Adejoh Baba, said that the commission also successfully launched a major onslaught on the seeming high–and–mighty in the society who had soiled their hands with shady deals, leading to the recovery of choice assets across the country.
The minister charged the media to align itself with the policies and programmes of the present administration aimed at dealing frontally with the menace of corruption, in order to free funds for development projects, which will uplift the standard of living of the citizenry.
He explained: “This effort should not be seen as the sole effort of Mr. President or the Government alone. The media has a duty to ensure that the programmes of Government, meant to uplift the lots of the citizenry, are projected as a national cause and not just as that of Mr. President or the administration.”
Mohammed, who pointed out that the BON General Assembly was taking place at an auspicious time in view of the forthcoming general elections in the country, charged the broadcasting organizations not to yield their platforms to the purveyors of hate speech and fake news.
The minister expatiated: “Anything short of this would amount to a criminal abdication of a sacred duty which could spell doom for our collective national life. We have had enough sordid examples to learn from that we ought not to allow a repeat at this critical time of our national development.
“It is therefore of utmost importance that the media and specifically, broadcast media, do not allow itself to become a purveyor of fake news and hate speeches”, he added.
He restated the present administration’s commitment to allowing the media to carry out their assigned watchdog roles without hindrance, adding that government expects the media to be guided by national interest above other interests in the discharge of their responsibilities.
