Dr. Kole Shettima, Africa Director of the MacArthur Foundation, paid a courtesy visit to the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) today in Abuja, reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to supporting whistleblower protection and anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria.
During the visit, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, expressed gratitude to Dr. Shettima and the MacArthur Foundation for their consistent support over the years. He highlighted AFRICMIL’s progress in promoting whistleblowing and whistleblower protection through its Corruption Anonymous (CORA) project, which aims to build support for whistleblower protection and has contributed significantly to anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria and West Africa.
Dr. Onumah also shared updates on AFRICMIL’s upcoming partnership with the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity to launch a policy document on the outcome of a survey of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria with whistleblower policy. He said this initiative aims to promote transparency and accountability in governance, leveraging the critical role of whistleblowers in exposing corruption.
The visit provided an opportunity for AFRICMIL to share its challenges, particularly the need for sustained support to whistleblowers and continued advocacy for the passage of the whistleblower protection bill into law. Dr. Onumah emphasized that the absence of a legal framework to protect whistleblowers remains a significant obstacle to effective anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria.
In his response, Dr. Shettima expressed delight in AFRICMIL’s achievements and its structured approach to anti-corruption work. He said the MacArthur Foundation was proud to be associated with the good work the Centre had done through its CORA project, and also recognized the critical role of civil society organizations in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance in Nigeria.
The partnership between AFRICMIL and the MacArthur Foundation has yielded significant results over the past eight years, contributing to the growth of a robust whistleblower protection advocacy as an effective anti-corruption tool in Nigeria.
As AFRICMIL continues to push for the passage of the whistleblower protection bill, the organization remains committed to collaborating with the MacArthur Foundation and other stakeholders to promote a culture of transparency and accountability in Nigeria through whistleblowing.
