Abraham Taiwo, an accountant and whistleblower at the Ibadan-based Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), described how he lost his job as a result of disclosing corrupt practices in the organisation. FRIN is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
During a courtesy visit to AFRICMIL office in Abuja, Taiwo said that he witnessed a few instances of wrongdoing in the course discharging his duties. He said that some employees who wrote and passed the promotion exam were not given the opportunity to advance since the positions had already been filled. A few months later, the same employees who had the chance to advance were given the opportunity to do so once more, leaving the others with nothing. He described this practice as “illegal accelerated promotion,” and stated that it was against the law and the institute’s code of conduct.
The fact that no one at his level was paid in September of 2020 was another item that caught his attention. When he asked his employer what the issue was, he was informed that it was caused by a “glitch” at the office of the Accountant General of the Federation. September’s salary was still unpaid when October’s salary was paid. He contacted the Accountant General’s office,and was told that September’s salary had been paid and that he should follow up with his Director General, Professor Adeshola Adepoju . When he brought this evidence to his DG, he was rebuffed. He then made the decision to investigate the salary payment portal (IPPS) and found evidence of its compromise.He found that money had been improperly transferred through the remita platform and was not being tracked. Taiwo gotinvolved in a study that was published after the matter was brought to the attention of the media.
As the publication gained popularity, his DG transfered him to Umuahia office in Abia State, and later sacked without following the proper procedure. He brought the case before the National Industrial Court, but the case was progressing attempts were made to kill him by two strange men who stormed his house in the night. According to Taiwo, “One of them had a gun and a mask, and the other guy had a ladder. When I began to cry out for assistance, they both fled”.
He reported the incident to the police, telling them he suspected the DG. Later on, the matter took a new twist which led to hisarrest and detention for two days. He said the ministry had taken interest in the case and the minister of state, Dr. Ishaq Salako, had directed him to withdraw the case from court and that oncehe did that, the ministry would review his case. He said he would comply with the Minister’s directive.
Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, advised him to obey the Minister’s instruction and update AFRICMIL on fresh developments. He said AFRICMIL would continue to support him to get justice.
Taiwo thanked AFRICMIL for the support and encouragement.
