Former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has attributed the decline of one of Nigeria’s most effective anti-corruption measures to the lack of legal backing.
Speaking at the second edition of the Citadel School of Government Dialogue in Lagos, she reflected on her time in office, sharing insights on reform strategies and leadership in challenging environments.
Introduced in December 2016, the whistleblower policy was widely praised for helping uncover large sums of stolen funds, including the well-known $43 million found in an Ikoyi apartment. However, Adeosun explained that its biggest weakness was that it was not backed by law.
She said, “My biggest regret is the Whistleblower Policy. It was highly successful, leading to the discovery of the $43 million in the Ikoyi apartment—but I didn’t turn it into a law.
“Because it was only a policy, it was easily tossed aside when leadership changed. If you want a reform to last, you must institutionalise it through law.”
She stressed that without legal protection, policies can be easily reversed by new administrations, weakening long-term anti-corruption efforts.
Adeosun also highlighted her efforts to tackle the long-standing issue of “ghost workers” using the Bank Verification Number system. According to her, about 45,000 fraudulent or irregular salary entries were identified.
“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 explained.
She added that requiring Permanent Secretaries to personally approve payrolls improved accountability.
“If you come armed with data and graphs, you can take on anybody. Data is hard to argue with,” she noted.
The session, chaired by Tunde Bakare, also examined the pressures that come with implementing reforms. Adeosun revealed that opponents even contacted her mother in North London in attempts to make her step down.
Mike Adebamowo, Executive Director of the University of Lagos Business School, pointed out that resistance is inevitable during reform, as it disrupts established systems.
Adeosun advised leaders to act as “compassionate bulldozers,” balancing firmness with public engagement.
“If you can’t explain your policy, you shouldn’t be doing it… You must be like Nehemiah on the wall: pray, but keep working. Anointing is not a license for laziness,” she added.
She concluded that strengthening institutions is key to tackling corruption in Nigeria, noting that lasting reform depends on both strong leadership and legal frameworks.
Bakare praised her resilience, saying her ability to maintain her integrity in public service reflects positively on governance.