A former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, on
Tuesday, lamented that the Federal Government’s recent policy to reward
whistleblowers with five per cent of any loot recovery had increased the number
of those he referred to as blackmailers in the country.
The former governor contended that the “blackmailers” took
advantage of the initiatives to write fictitious petitions without supporting
evidence against perceived opponents of the government of the day.
He spoke during the 2017 annual lecture/press week of the
Delta State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists at the Labour House,
Asaba, the state capital, on Tuesday.
He said although the social media had helped to hold
Nigerian leaders accountable, many had abused the platform, using it as a tool
of blackmail.
Uduaghan, who was the chairman on the occasion, stated that
he had been a victim of blackmail, adding that such blackmailers were feeding
fat, buying cars and building houses through such means.
He argued that prevailing laws were not stiff enough to deter
those involved in blackmail.
The ex-governor said the free access to users of social
media needed to be checked before it would become a major security threat,
calling on the mainstream media to verify their facts when copying stories from
the social media, which he contended were, most times, not factual.
Uduaghan stated, “The topic of this lecture is very apt
because the social media grant unlimited access to everybody without any form
of restriction. The new media is a good innovation but ugly posts are
overtaking the good.
“The whistleblower policy of the Federal Government has
increased the number of blackmailers, who bank on the free access granted by
the social media to dish out false information.
“I have been a victim, I am sure many others have also
fallen to the activities of the blackmailers, who now feed fat and buy cars and
houses through such means.
“Sometimes, their activities pose security threat to
government and action must be taken to address it.”
The state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, in his address,
commended the efforts of journalists, noting that the press was vital to the
survival of the country from the present economic recession in the country.
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