Protection Of Whistleblowers In The Nigerian Workplace With Reference To The Whistleblowing Regulatory Frameworks In The United Kingdom And United States

Whistleblowers in the workplace play a critical role in exposing wrongdoing by virtue of their proximity and access to information. The presence of a statutory framework that protects whistleblowers from potential victimisation and provides clear communication procedures and channels for reporting wrongdoing can be a valuable tool for encouraging whistleblowers to come forward with legitimate disclosures.

At present, there is no statutory framework in the form of a stand-alone whistleblower protection law that provides legal protection for whistleblowers in both the public and private sectors in Nigeria. This thesis argues that there is a need for a timely statutory intervention by means of a detailed statutory regime for whistleblower protection. This thesis critically examines how whistleblowers can be effectively protected if the Nigerian legislature decides to pass a whistleblowing protection law in Nigeria. The thesis explores the current position of whistleblowers and questions the effectiveness of the current piecemeal frameworks in Nigeria. The discussion also undertakes an extensive analysis of past whistleblowing protection bills with the aim of appreciating the considerations that informed the development of legislation for the protection of whistleblowers.

The UK and US acted on the lessons learned from the scandals which they experienced in various sectors of their economy by formulating and implementing comprehensive whistleblowing protection laws to encourage the disclosure of wrongdoing and provide legal protection for whistleblowers. The thesis employs a comparative analysis and proposes that cogent lessons can be drawn from the UK and US whistleblowing regulatory frameworks which can be adapted to fit into the Nigerian context to provide whistleblowers with legal protection. In examining the approach to be adopted, the thesis provides valuable insights on the enforceability and practicability of the proposed initiatives for encouraging disclosures and protecting whistleblowers in the Nigerian workplace.