Anthony Iwuoma
Following the invasion of the residence of Justice Mary Odili, a judge of the Supreme Court, allegedly on the tip-off by a whistleblower, former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a review of the whistle blower policy.
Jonathan, who spoke during a lecture, entitled: ‘Repositioning the Nigerian Economy for Sustainable Development: Challenges and Prospects’, at the National Institute for Security Studies, in Abuja, on Thursday, said this has become necessary in order to avoid destroying the economy if the policy is not well managed.
He said: “The concept of whistle blowing helps to give information, but that information should be slightly investigated and you need to be sure before you strike. It should be modified so that the security operatives don’t go into the voice of discoveries.
“If things are not done properly, people will exploit it to their advantage. People, who give wrong information to the security operatives, should be punished. As much as whistle blowing is okay, it will help to control us. It must be done in a way that will not injure our economy.”
He also said weak local government administration and institutions have contributed to the growing insecurity in the country.
“The local government system that’s supposed to interface with communities directly and prevent insecurity is dead in this country. In terms of governance, nothing is happening at that level; the community engagement is so weak,” the former president said.
“The states must have strong departments that can coordinate the affairs of these local governments. These departments must have regular meetings with traditional rulers and community development committees to assess the threat level in these communities.
“What we have now is that communities have a lot of tension due to the weakness of the lower level of government, which has led to major conflicts. The Federal Government can deploy troops, but that can never solve our problems.”
