WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION POLICY AND EMPLOYEE REPORTING BEHAVIOR IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGERIA
This paper examines the relationship between whistleblower protection policy and employee reporting behavior in public sector organizations in Nigeria. The study adopts a qualitative desk-review design anchored on documentary and thematic analysis. Core sources include the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the federal Whistleblower Policy 2016, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit Act 2018, the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Witness Protection and Management Act 2022, public reports, and scholarly literature on whistleblowing, reporting behavior, and public accountability. In addition, selected Nigerian whistleblower cases are reviewed to show how reporting behavior is shaped in practice by reward expectations, retaliation risks, institutional trust, media freedom, and access to information. The study finds that employee reporting behavior in the Nigerian public sector is strongly influenced by the perceived strength of protection policy. The study also finds that the 2016 whistleblower policy improved public visibility of whistleblowing and contributed to asset recovery, but did not by itself create a durable culture of internal reporting because the policy lacks the comprehensive force and institutional breadth of a full whistleblower protection statute. Documented cases further show that reprisals, identity exposure, dismissals, transfers, intimidation, and weak prosecution outcomes can discourage future reporting. The study concluded that an effective whistleblower regime in Nigeria must move beyond reward-based disclosure and become a broader public sector integrity system.