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Tag: minister

  • Minister woos multinational firms to boost investment

    Minister woos multinational firms to boost investment

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, is engaging international oil companies (IOCs) to deepen investment in the oil and gas industry.

    In one of such investment drives to ExxonMobil headquarters, Kachikwu had a robust discussion with top executives of the oil firm. He praised ExxonMobil for its enduring partnership with Nigeria which has grown stronger over the years.

    According to the Director, Press, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Idang Alibi, the minister restated the Federal Government’s efforts aimed at reducing importation of petroleum products.

    The effort will be boosted if major IOC partners operating in Nigeria invest in building signature refineries to be run on joint venture basis with the Federal Government providing the necessary incentives, he said.

    Reiterating the gains that have been made through the signing of the repayment agreement for the Joint Venture cash call in 2016, Kachikwu further clarified that the initial payments to IOCs would be made by the end of this month, and that it would be expedient if the IOCs reciprocated the Federal Government’s gesture and commitment by ensuring that they ramped up investments in the industry.

    He also encouraged ExxonMobil to invest in more practical deliveries in human capital development and investment in local growth of skill sets required in the industry.

    ExxonMobil recognised the valued partnership with Nigeria and noble work of the minister to ensure the development and growth of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. ExxonMobil also reiterated its commitment to help deliver power to Nigeria and support the gas commercialisation programme of the Ministry Petroleum Resources.

    Alibi said the meeting was part of the ongoing investment drive initiative embarked on by the Minister of State to International Oil Companies, adding that the first of these was with Italian IOC giant, Eni, in January 2017 where the Italian firm pledged to work with Nigeria to revamp the Port Harcourt Refinery. Other IOCs scheduled to be visited include Shell, Chevron and Total.

    In furtherance to this, the minister will be would be leading the country’s delegation to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas in May 2017 with the objective of ‘showcasing the opportunities, processes & reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.’

  • Meningitis: Minister, WHO warn Zamfara, other Northeast states

    Meningitis: Minister, WHO warn Zamfara, other Northeast states

    •$1b needed to vaccinate 21m •Disease kills 489 in five states

    Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has called on the Zamfara State Governor Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari to sanction those selling vaccines and life-saving drugs provided by the Federal Government for free.
    Also yesterday, northern traditional leaders and governors moved to tame the outbreak in some parts of the region, as they held an emergency meeting in Kaduna.
    Adewole, who spoke on the occasion, said $1 billion was required to vaccinate 21 million people in five meningitis endemic states.
    He added that the outbreak has killed 489 persons in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kabbi, Niger and Katsina states.
    According to him, 4,637 suspected cases have been recorded.
    The minister said: “Meningitis vaccination is very expensive. To effectively stop meningitis in Nigeria, we need to vaccinate 21 million people in the five states, which will cost about $1 billion. We need Immunity Trust Fund to cater for immunisation. We need to put more money in health to build robust health system that is resilient. Nigeria would need to put more money on vaccine. Nigerian vaccine has been subsidised by Gavi. But in 2015, we said we are the largest economy in Africa, which means we can stand on our own. So, by 2025, Nigeria will need to fund its vaccines by itself.
    “The state governments also need to put in more money on health. We want the state governments to support us to revitalise the PHC for every political ward to have at least one PHC. We need to put people there, community health extension workers, and to invest in routine immunisation.
    “About seven million births are recorded annually. If we vaccinate all of them, we would protect them from meningitis and other diseases.”
    The World Health Organisation (WHO) also blamed the outbreak of meningitis in some parts of the country, particularly Zamfara State, on lack of robust surveillance.
    The global health body said the Zamfara outbreak was avoidable.
    The health minister warned the Zamfara State governor that some people were selling the drugs sent by the Federal Government for the treatment of meningitis. “We must apprehend them,” he said.
    Adewole, who spoke while visiting the state, called on the Yari to focus on strengthening the Primary Health Centre (PHC) system.
    “Once the PHC system is in place, we can tackle not just this outbreak but 70 to 80 per cent of the cases of our people,” he said.
    Adewole said any single case could have been easily reported at the PHC level and a response would have been activated and this scale of the outbreak would have been avoided.
    “Next year dry season is coming again. We need to make sure that we are prepared to tackle the next outbreak,” he reminded.
    WHO also yesterday blamed the outbreak of meningitis in some parts of the country, particularly Zamfara State, on lack of robust surveillance.
    The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) warned against the spread of the outbreak to the Northeast, which it said is already suffering from malnutrition.
    The development partners spoke in Kaduna yesterday at the Emergency Meeting of northern traditional rulers and leaders.
    WHO Country Representative, Wondimagegnehu Alemu said Nigeria, henceforth, needed to spend more and invest on outbreak investigation and detection, particularly in rolling out robust surveillance system.
    He said 500 cases of meningitis discovered sometimes last year in Zamfara would have been avoided, if there was a robust surveillance system.
    In his goodwill message, UNICEF County Representative, Mohammed Fall, said children in the Northeast were already facing the burden of malnutrition and the consequences of devastating conflicts. He warned that penetration of meningitis in the region would increase the burden.
    Making presentation on the disease, the National Coordinator of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the outbreak started in Zamfara State in November, but they were only notified on February 7, and they deployed along with other stakeholders a week later.
    “No fewer than 489 deaths have been recorded in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kabbi, Niger and Katsina State. And 4,637 suspected cases of meningitis have also been recorded”, said Dr. Ihekweazu.
    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal described the meningitis as a dangerous epidemic, saying that his state had recorded over 1000 cases so far.
    According to him, ‘In Sokoto state, we had cases in about seven local governments. We had over 1000 cases reported and the state government had to mobilised with traditional leaders in the state and other stakeholders, particularly our development partners.
    “We had a collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, we received over 20,000 vaccines from the ministry and we are expecting about 800,000 more vaccines, our target is to have 2 million vaccines for vaccinations to cover most of the areas.
    “We have mobilised a team led by the Commissioner of Health. We have had challenges of drugs and challenges of health personnel as well”, he said.
    Also, Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai said it was a matter of great sadness for governors to see the number of deaths recorded in their states due to meningitis.
    He lamented that the North West zone has been battling meningitis epidemic for the past two months, saying it was a type of meningitis that health care professionals in their states were not conversant with, the type C meningitis.

  • Prison boss to minister: we need solar energy

    The new Controller of the Nigerian Prisons Service, (NPS) Fedral Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche has urged the Minster of the Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello to install solar lighting in the Kuje Prisons.

    Mwakuche appreciated the FCT Minister for his immense assistance to the Nigerian Prisons Service.

    The minister assured that the FCT Administration will continue to support Para-military agencies operating in the Federal Capital Territory to enable them perform their statutory functions.

    The Minister gave the assurance while receiving a delegation from the Nigerian Prisons Service, FCT Command, led by the new Controller, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche that paid him a working visit in his office.

    Bello reiterated that Para-military organizations and other security Agencies play very important roles in the maintenance law and order, peace and tranquility in the Territory and must be motivated to continue in that direction.

    He assured that his Administration would also continue to collaborate with security agencies to ensure the security of lives and property.

    “The FCT Administration will provide immediate succor to some of the challenges facing the Nigerian Prisons installations in the Territory to encourage the rehabilitation and reformation of convicts,” he said.

    The Minister remarked that he is in direct discussion with the Ministry of Interior on some of the issues raised by the Controller; adding that they will at the end, be of benefit to the Nigerian Prisons Service and other residents of the FCT when they come to fruition.

    According to him, “There are some issues in the pipeline for which we are in direct discussion with the Minister of Interior and at the end of the day, if they come to fruition, the benefit is going to be for all of us in the FCT”.

    The Minister promised to fast track the issue of land encroachment around the Kuje Facility to mitigate any negative occurrence, adding, “We will continue to speak and engage on how we can solve them one after the other”.

    Earlier in his remarks, the new Controller of Prisons, FCT Command, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche appreciated the FCT Minister for his immense assistance to the Nigerian Prisons Service.

    He appealed to the Minister to continue to support the FCT Command of the Nigerian Prison Service, particularly in the area of solar lighting within the Kuje Prisons Service vicinity.

  • Minister seeks investment in waste management, Abuja rail

    The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has called for foreign direct investments in waste management in the Federal Capital Territory as opportunities abound in that sub-sector for any would be genuine investor. Bello made the call while receiving a delegation of non-career Nigeria Ambassadors designate that paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

    He reiterated that Abuja city provides one of the best economic opportunities for big businesses; saying that the sub-sector has enormous potentials to be harnessed.

    The Minister advised the Ambassadors designate that whichever country they are deployed to, they should always promote and project to their host nations various investment opportunities in Nigeria, especially the huge business prospects in waste management in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Bello said that the presence of good infrastructure as well as the relative peace and security in the Territory combined with its massive population, will surely make Abuja a preferred destination for investors to do business and reap huge benefits.

    According to him, “One area that we want you to consider as you discuss Abuja with your host nations is the area of waste management. For those of you that are in Europe, we understand there is a lot of funding for green projects of such nature. These are areas that the we would be very interested in.”

    Bello emphasized that apart from its huge population and location advantages, the Territory is well connected to Europe through a number of air carriers that fly in and out of Abuja on a daily basis as well as a number of other West African countries, including East and South African countries.

    The Minister said that although the Lots 3 and 1A of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit is well funded by the Chinese EXIM Bank, opportunities still exists in the Lot 2, Lot 4 and 5 of the on-going the rail system.

    His words: ”We have what we call the Abuja Rail Mass Transit System which is under construction on the basis of six Lots. Already, Lots 1A and 3 are being funded by the Chinese Exim Bank and hopefully that would be completed by the first quarter of next year. But there is opportunity for the Lots 2, 4, 5 and 6. So, these are some of the areas that when you get fully settled, we may be able to communicate with you on some of these issues.”

    The leader of delegation and the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye said that the purpose of their visit is to introduce the Ambassadors designate to the Minister and to find out some of the potentials in the FCT in terms of the economic and investment opportunities.

    Ambassador Enikanolaiye remarked that the FCT Administration could assist the new envoys on how to project and promote the priorities of government, particularly, those in the Federal Capital Territory.

  • Meningitis victims are not sinners, says Minister

    Meningitis victims are not sinners, says Minister

    The Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire on Wednesday disagreed with the claims that those who died and the living patients of meningitis are sinners.

    Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, on Tuesday had maintained that God visited the country with type C of the Meningitis because of sin.

    But briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting, Ehanire said that the outbreak of the disease was not punishment from God.

    He said: “The federal government does not have views of that nature‎ and I am not sure the state government can really continue to make that statement. When things happen, yes you can begin to look this way and that way for the cause of it but like I said nature played us unfortunate stroke but that is not to say we committed sin or anything. It does happen that things occur out of the blues.”

    The Minister who briefed the Council on Wednesday on the Meningitis outbreak in the country, also allayed the fears of Nigerians about the response of the ministry.

    According to him, there have been very robust responses of ‎the Ministry and the state governments of the states concern, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, Nigeria Primary Health Care Development Agency, World Health Organisation, UNICEF and other partners.

    Speaking on why the problem was peculiar, he said: “What has caused this problem to be peculiar is that it is caused by a total different strand of the Meningitis germ. It is the Type C. This country before suffers Meningitis around this time of year when dry season is turning to raining season.”

    “In the area called the ‎Meningitis belt that ranges all the way from Senegal down to Ethiopia, Eritra. And the prevailing germ was the Meningecocus A. And the mass vaccines that has taken place all these years has led to almost total elimination of Type A. Type C has been very rear and this year it is the Type C that appeared.

    “Unfortunately there is no cross immunization, if you are immune to Type A doesn’t make you immune to Type C. And because Type C was very rear the availability of vaccines was been very meager relatively.

    “We have mobilise vaccines come in from all corners, 500,000 units doses of vaccines are being distributed ‎and they have started vaccination campaign already.

    “Government is also getting 826,000 units which are being shipped‎ from Europe to us within the next few days. The most affected states have been Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina and together they have about 85 per cent of the cases.

     

    “As of today, there have been 2,996 cases in 16 states and 54 local governments . There have been 336 fatalities of which 141 have been confirmed by laboratory tests.

    There is reactive ‎vaccinations going on already, there is social mobilization going on, teams are working in various states affected particularly the most affected ones.

    “There are two treatment centers being set up in every local government and lumber puncture kits have been distributed so that doctors can take samples to laboratory for testing. There are cases of field epidaemologists who are doing findings and contact tracing in other to interrupt the spread of this epidemic.

    “So in other to alley the fear of Nigerians we want to make it clear that this is not a sign of the failing of the system‎, it is a fact that nature played a very different stroke this time that caught everybody off guard,” he stated.

    While stressing that the vaccines are expensive to produce, he said that it is not wise to produce and keep when not needed as they may eventually expire.

    “So companies make the vaccines on request and on demand and they store just as much as they calculate will be uses. So the Type C was not very much in demand but right now this present epidemic has led to a big demand. Like I said before 500,000 was gathered from all over the place with the help of WHO and another 826,000 is on its way which is given to us free of charge from Europe and the ministry has placed order for additional two million doses.

    “As the situation goes on we will be able to determine if we need to increase the order or if this one will be sufficient. You don’t want to order more than you need because they all have limited life span but on the other hand you need to have more of these vaccines to be able to take care of the epidemic.

    “Right now it seems there is a control going on, it is beginning to decrease in Sokoto State, Zamfara is still trying to even out and we hope that with the reactive vaccinations going on we shall be able to bring the epidemic to a gradual halt.”

    Reminded that the Nigeria Meteorology ‎Authority had hinted that there will be more heat this year, which should have served as enough warning to the government, the Minister said “Yes, it is true there was a signal that this thing had started  in Niger and was going to enter the country. Like I said before, it was the Type A that we have known that has worried us in the last years but the Type C came this time as a bit of a surprise because that wasn’t the pattern in the past.

    “So, the preparedness for treatment was very much on ground but the preparedness for vaccines could not have been predicted until we begin to diagnose and do tests and discover that this is a different strend from what we had before  and that the immunity you had before against Type A will not work against  Type C.

     

    “There is largely immunity against Type A in the country at the moment. If it had been Type A, we would not have seen an epidemic of this nature,” he said.

  • Minister to INEC: make 2019 elections better

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Bello has said that the credibility of the 2015 General Election has enhanced the image of Nigeria to the outside world and therefore should be improved upon.

    Bello stated this while receiving the Presidential Committee on Constitution and Electoral Reform led by its chairman, Senator Ken Nnamani in his office.

    He said that the election was largely made credible, because of the use of biometrics and card readers by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Minister therefore urged the Committee to look into strengthening the use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in all subsequent elections in order to sustain the achievements.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister reiterated that the use of card reader in elections in Nigeria is a revolution that should be sustained, as it would go a long way in reducing the number of litigations after elections.

    He emphasised that Nigeria is ripe and Nigerians are now well educated and enlightened in the use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in elections considering how the populace make use of mobile telephone in addition to internet data mostly for new media (social media).

    The Minister assured that the FCT Administration will support the Committee in doing its work to ensure that the subsequent electoral processes are fair and credible, and seen to be so.

    Bello appreciated the contributions of Senator Ken Nnamani to the country when he was the Senate President; saying that history will remember him for the role he played to ensure that democracy is sustained.

    The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Constitution and Electoral Reform, Senator Ken Nnamani commended the Minister for the effort of his Administration in completing abandoned projects across the 8,000 square kilometers of the Federal Capital Territory.

    He said that the Committee is in the FCT Administration to pay the Administration a visit as they were in Abuja to hold a National Public Hearing to collate more information from the residents before turning out an all-inclusive report to the government as well as bringing up relevant Bills for enactment by the National Assembly.

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and other top officials of the FCT Administration joined the Minister in receiving the team.

  • Shekau’ll soon be arrested, says minister

    Shekau’ll soon be arrested, says minister

    MINISTER of Defence Mansur Dan-Ali is optimistic that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau who is on the run, will soon be arrested.

    He spoke yesterday with State House correspondents after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said Boko Haram insurgents were defeated after their spiritual base and headquarters was captured by Nigerian troops.

    On moves to capture Shekau, he said: “I believe it’s just a matter of time. It took America about seven to 10 years to get Osama bin Laden. So, we will get  Shekau as soon as possible.

    “I told you before now, the spiritual headquarters has been ransacked and vandalised. He (Shekau) is on the run. So, he may be hiding in one of the enclaves of Sambisa forest, which we are dominating.

    “We have opened up the place. We are using the place as a training area, whereby army engineers will open roads. We shall be patrolling and ransacking that forest for Shekau.”

    Reminded that several reports had claimed that Shekau had been killed, he said: “Let me tell you categorically. These insurgents, they have a way of putting masks. There could be so many, but we are looking for the real one.

    “He has been using masks to portray Shekau in one incident or the other to give an impression that he has been killed so that we will relax, but we will not relax; we are on his trail.”

     

  • Minister to insurers: leverage ICT penetration to grow insurance

    Minister to insurers: leverage ICT penetration to grow insurance

    The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu has urged insurers to latch on the penetration of information communication technology (ICT) penetration to deepen insurance penetration in the country and grow its contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP).

    He lamented that the potential of the insurance industry is still far from being harnessed. Speaking on: ‘Driving Insurance Penetration With Information and Communication   Technology’ at the e-Insurance Conference organised by Pinet Informatics Ltd at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos yesterday, he said the contributions of the insurance sector, which provides support to the financial institutions, has been disproportionate to the size of the Nigerian population and size.

    “The insurance sector, despite being a major driver of business growth that provides critical support systems to the financial market, has not fared well given the current size of the economy and population.

    “Information available to me indicates that there are less than 1.5 million insurance policyholders, representing a paltry 0.9 per cent of a population of well over 170 million citizens. Similarly, the gross premium of the sector is said to be less than N500 billion, implying that the sector contributes less than one per cent to national GDP,” he said.

    He expressed confidence in the performance of the ICT sector as the fourth pillar of the economy and a sector that recorded positive growth last year in spite of the recession. He said ICT tools could be used to develop innovative solutions to improve insurance practice, increase product development and expand market activities in the insurance sector.

    The suggested process, according to the minister, includes improved operational efficiency(including smooth communication between clients and company officials), office automation and optimisation, digital marketing and online marketplace for assessment and purchase of insurance packages.

    Shittu said in other parts of the world, e-insurance has already been fully adopted and various insurance products can be obtained through online insurance portals, which are programmed to tailor unique insurance packages to the distinctive individual requirements of prospective customers.

  • Abuja Airport: Second runway ‘ll be ready in 24 months, says minister

    Abuja Airport: Second runway ‘ll be ready in 24 months, says minister

    •Flight operation from Kaduna to London to begin soon

    The Federal Government has said the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikwe International airport, Abuja will be completed in 24 months, if it is accommodated in the 2017 budget.
    It added yesterday that flight operations from Kaduna International Airport would begin soon to reduce the hardship being experienced by passengers.
    Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, spoke after an inspection of activities at the Kaduna Airport.
    Speaking on the plan for a second runway, Sirika said: “There is plan by government to be able to squeeze in within the 2017 budget to have a second runway in Abuja.
    “But we need to learn from previous mistakes. Since 1995, I as a person was canvassing for second runway in Abuja and I saw the need. My concern at that time was safety because we didn’t have alternative landing point. I also thought it would make the airport more efficient.
    “I saw the need and called for it but it fell on deaf ears. At the time of Yar’Adua, government saw the need but the project was condemned on the excuse that the money was too much.”
    He added: “The media and others who complained would have complained about the expenditure but support the project. So, kill the cost and not the project. Don’t throw away the baby with the bath water.
    “So, yes, there would be a second runway in Abuja hopefully within the next 24 months, we would have a new runway, I hope.
    “There is second runway in Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt. I think the focus of the government within the limited resources is to do a second runway in Abuja and if we need additional runway, during the concessioning, the man, who would win it will do it.
    “Once we begin the process of building the runway, we should be able to achieve it within 24 months. If we put it in the budget and we are to build it, we will try to build it within 24 months.
    On concession, he added: “The concession is a process and it is backed by the ICIC Act. It goes through processes. When you identify Transaction Advisers, which we have done, it is going to go to FEC tomorrow (today) and once that is done, the Outline Business Case (OBC) and then the full business scale and also get approval from FEC.”
    On how many years the runway undergoing reconstruction will last, the minister said the Federal Government got commitment from the contractors that the airport will last for over 10 years.
    On flight operations from Kaduna to London, he said: “We are however trying to start a flight from Abuja direct to London, using Nigerian carrier and some arrangements with international airlines and in the next four to five days, we may commence flight directly to London and back. We are talking to Nigerian entrepreneurs and international airlines that would provide us with the airplane that we would use.
    “For now, we would do London and it is because we already have one going to Addis Ababa and so, those who are East bound will be served. Also, if we have one going to Europe, then all those going to North and South America will also be served. We are just trying to cushion the suffering of passengers.
    “Those that however have permission to go into London are Omni Blue, Medview and Air Peace. Those are some of the carriers that are permitted to go into London and we are going to partner Nigerian entrepreneurs or airlines.”
    On whether the six weeks was still achievable, Sirika said: “We are on six weeks mark. I have been to the runway site four times since they started and they have been working. By next tomorrow, a huge countdown clock at the entrance of the airport and at the entrance of the yard of the contractor and on his desk to remind them that six-week is six-week and it is sacrosanct.”
    Also speaking, Mohammed said: “We have tried to limit the inconveniences to passengers. Again, there is no alternative to closing the runway for the simple reason that for 34 years, no maintenance was carried out.
    “No surface cleaning , resurfacing, no nothing and it has gotten to a stage that unless we reconstruct the runway, we would be sitting on a keg of gunpowder and God forbid any crash. That is why we had to take the painful decision to close the airport to allow for reconstruction of the runway.

  • Fed Govt ‘ll protect, reward whistleblowers, says minister

    Fed Govt ‘ll protect, reward whistleblowers, says minister

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reiterated that the Federal Government will protect and reward whistleblowers, who provide information that lead to the recovery of stolen funds or assets.

    In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, the minister said the Federal Government would protect the identity of all whistleblowers, whether in the public or the private sector and also ensure that the information they provide is kept secret.

    “For those who may have suffered any backlash as a result of the information they provide, their cases will be reviewed and appropriate mitigating actions taken,” he said.

    Mohammed said the assurance followed the presentations made to the Presidential Assets Recovery Committee by concerned citizens and groups about the safety of whistleblowers.

    “Whistleblowers have nothing to fear, because the committee has put in place the necessary measures to safeguard those who give useful information. As a matter of fact, whistleblowers have everything to gain and nothing to lose,” he said.

    The minister said any whistleblower, whose information leads to the recovery of up to N1 billion would receive five per cent of the amount, adding that the reward for any amount between N1 billion and N5 billion  will be five per cent for the first N1 billion and four per cent of the remaining N4 billion.

    He added that any amount over N5 billion would attract 2.5 per  cent reward.

    “What we have done by making this information public is to reassure potential whistleblowers that the plan to reward is real. We are not just saying we will pay all whistleblowers, but we are letting them know in advance what they are entitled to, once the information they provide leads to the recovery of looted funds,” he said.