Group urges women to extend whistleblowing to gender violence, child abuse

Community- Based Organisations (CBOs) in Anambra have urged the use of the whistleblowing policy of the Federal Government to expose the social ills in the state.

Prof. Mercy Anigbogu of the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, made the call on Wednesday at Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area at a step-down training for some CBOs on whistleblowing policy as a tool for fighting corruption.

The training was organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) an NGO funded by McArthur Foundation.

Anigbogu, who was the guest lecturer, said that other than financial corruption, there were other vices affecting public safety and inhibiting development in the community

The guidance and counselling expert said that the trainees should use their knowledge of the principles of whistleblowing to report corruption and other socially unacceptable behaviours, including gender violence, child rights abuse and drug abuse.

She said they should endeavour to maintain their anonymity status while giving out factual, verifiable and public interest information.

Anigbogu urged the trainees to use whistle blowing to expose the ills in the society, including corruption, rape, gender violence, child abuse and drug abuse.

On her part, Mrs Goodluck Ogbogu, a participant, said the training had further enriched their knowledge on how to hold public office holders accountable.

She said though the reward system was a welcome development it could not compare with the benefit of making people to execute rightly the jobs they were elected to do.

She praised AFRICMIL for bringing the awareness on whistleblowing to the grassroots while promising that they would put it to good use.

Mr Chris Azor, Chairman, Anambra State Civil Society Network, said the three-day step-down training across the three senatorial districts in Anambra was a successful one.

Azor commended the trainees for their active participation, noting that imbibing the principles would result in better governance in the communities.

Mr Godwin Onyeacholem, Senior Programme Officer, AFRICMIL, said the step-down training was to build public confidence for the whistleblower policy of the government.