AFRICMIL said further that the continued victimisation of Adedayo was unacceptable.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has urged Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun to stop the victimisation of the impeached chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo.
Last month, Adedayo wrote a public letter to former governor of the state, Segun Osoba, urging him to use his influence to correct the persistent zero allocation of federal funds which local governments in the state were facing under the administration of Governor Abiodun. The state government has since denied the allegation.
Adedayo was subsequently impeached and is being tried in court for allegedly making false claims against the governor.
However, in a press statement, Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, said it was unbecoming for the governor to go to the extent of making Adedayo face retaliation for demanding transparency and accountability in the administration of local government funds.
According to Onumah, “Adedayo doesn’t deserve the punishment he is currently facing because he has done nothing wrong other than exercising his right of freedom of expression. In fact, instead of being punished, he should be rewarded for exhibiting behaviour that would be of benefit to society rather than himself.”
AFRICMIL, which is at the forefront of promoting whistleblowing as a vital tool for addressing corrupt practices and other forms of wrongdoing, described Adedayo’s action as legitimate whistleblowing which Nigeria sorely needs at this time. The organisation observed that it was “immoral and unlawful” for the governor to deploy a strategy of intimidation to stop the whistleblower from speaking out against wrongdoing at the top level of governance.
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“Following the furore that trailed the whistleblower’s disclosure, he was first suspended for three months as chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area and then impeached even when the suspension had barely kicked off. Days after vowing that Adedayo would pay for ‘making false allegations’ against him, the governor made good his threat by getting the police to arraign the whistleblower. We are not unmindful of the fact that all of this is part of the intimidation to completely silence the whistleblower,” the organisation stated.
AFRICMIL said further that the continued victimisation of Adedayo was unacceptable.
It called on anti-corruption agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where Adedayo sent a petition, to investigate the allegations contained in the whistleblower’s petition to unravel the truth.
The organisation reiterated its commitment to demand justice for all whistleblowers facing adverse actions for exposing wrongdoing in the country, adding that “whistleblowing is freedom of expression that must be protected.”