According to a report by Punch Newspaper on Saturday, April 4, 2026, a former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has attributed the waning impact of one of Nigeria’s most prominent anti-corruption measures to the lack of statutory backing.
During the second edition of the Citadel School of Government Dialogue series in Lagos, Adeosun reflected on both the achievements and setbacks experienced during her time in office.
Her address provided an in-depth look into the principles that guided her reform agenda, offering insights into the complexities of implementing policy in challenging environments.
Adeosun’s presentation highlighted the evolution of reform efforts under her leadership, underscoring the delicate balance between innovation and sustainability in public service.
She painted a detailed picture of the structural and operational challenges that often undermined even the most well-intentioned initiatives, emphasizing the importance of consistency and institutional support.
Central to her discussion was the whistleblower policy, launched in December 2016, which was widely regarded as a groundbreaking measure in combating financial misconduct.
The initiative initially garnered acclaim for its ability to trace and recover significant amounts of misappropriated funds, demonstrating the potential of transparent reporting mechanisms to disrupt entrenched networks of corruption.
Among the policy’s most notable successes was the retrieval of $43 million hidden in an Ikoyi apartment, a recovery that drew nationwide attention.
Yet, Adeosun acknowledged that the same feature that made the policy effective also contributed to its vulnerability: its dependence on the discretionary decisions of executive authorities.
Without codified legal support, she argued, the program’s continuity remained uncertain.
Adeosun further elaborated on the operational tools that drove the policy’s effectiveness, noting that her approach relied on precise data rather than political statements.
The use of the Bank Verification Number system, in particular, enabled the identification of discrepancies within public payrolls, exposing systemic inefficiencies and instances of fraud.
“The payroll was our biggest cost… We found 45,000 ‘ghost workers.’ In many cases it wasn’t a ‘ghost,’ but one person’s BVN linked to seven different salaries. It wasn’t always a ‘cartel.’ Sometimes it was just inefficiency—people who had died or transferred but were still being paid,” she said. Read_More…