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The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) says it has not hired staff without due process.
He said in Abuja that the media report to that effect "is false, uninformed, misleading and lacking a fair hearing."
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, NEITI made this clarification at the induction training for his new staff.
“We are disappointed that the story authors never bothered to consult with NEITI for our feedback on fairness and balance.
“However, let me reassure all Nigerians, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and our global partners that NEITI is certainly aware of and quite sensitive to our public ethics and commitments to the EITI principles,” he said.
He said that the induction/training had been designed to introduce staff to the world of transparency accountability in the management of the oil, gas and mining sector through the instruments of NEITI/EITI.
“You join our organization at a time when issues of poor governance, lack of transparency and accountability in the extractive industry are national and global concerns, especially in Nigeria.
“This induction program is one of the crucial steps we have taken to prepare you for the task ahead and embed you into NEITI's culture and principles of transparency, integrity and accountability.
“The key message here is that there is a void in NEITI that they have been recruited to come in and fill,” he said.
He said that to start the recruitment, the Human Resources Committee of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) that conducted the exercise, reviewed more than 2,000 Curriculum Vitaes in the NEITI database of applicants under the NEITI policy "Leave the request back".
“This is a policy implemented over the years to preserve and provide hope for applicants seeking a career with the organization,” he said.
He said the waiver granted to the NEITI Commission (FCC) was informed to the applications the agency received in the course of the contracting exercise.
Of this large number of applications, according to him, 166 candidates are shortlisted and invited for interviews.
He said that of these numbers, 145 people attended, 18 people were absent, and three were disqualified due to integrity issues that included the lack of proof from NYSC and differences in age statements.
“These were followed by 23 candidates who scored 75 percent or higher and entered the national merit list, while another 36 who scored between 70 and 74 percent made the general merit list. 82 candidates reached the minimum score of 65 percent.
“Four candidates who scored the minimum score of 65 percent were strictly considered to address fairness in the representation of the federal character,” he said.
However, he said that in the course of recruiting, NEITI also took into account the gender equity and diversity issues of the Nigerian state.
In a keynote address, Mr. Olusegun Adekunle, Chairman of NEITI NSWG, said that upon its inauguration in July 2021, he started a program for strengthening the secretariat and expanding the agency to other geopolitical areas.
He said this was because policy direction was required for the successful implementation of NEITI's five-year Strategic Plan (2022-2026) developed and approved to drive the workforce growth plan developed.
“The workforce plan specifically identified the urgency for NEITI to inject young graduates with the workforce and creative skills needed to help drive the recently developed five-year strategic and growth plan.
“The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has set new standards for reform and NEITI, as a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on PIA implementation, has an obligation to respond appropriately with adequate manpower and resources,” explained.
He said the process that produced this class of 2022 had been rigorous, based on merit, and in compliance with all procedures set forth by the Federal Government.
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Source Credit: NAN
The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has called for the participation of Nigerian women throughout the value chain of exploration, production, crude oil refining and extraction of mineral deposits.
NEITI urged the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) to lead this conversation as professionals and provide the necessary guidance and expertise in this area.
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of NEITI, made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the 5th Annual Nkechi Isigwe Conference (NIAL), hosted, labeled "Diversity and Inclusion in the Nigerian Extractive Industry: The Perspective of a entrepreneur".
Orji, in a keynote address, said the Federal Government had identified seven strategic minerals and designated them as a priority for promotion and investment.
According to him, the strategic minerals found throughout the country are barite, gold, bitumen, iron, lead/zinc, coal and limestone.
“NEITI stands ready to offer any support to help our women realize their full potential in the sector,” she said.
He stressed the need to maximize gender inclusion and equity in the governance of extractive industries and broaden the participation and inclusion of women in the management of the sector.
She said NEITI's goal remained to work with the association to remove structural barriers that prevent women, girls and other vulnerable groups from participating in sustainable natural resource management and other potential gendered impacts of extractive activities.
“The global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), implemented by NEITI, is founded on the philosophy that regular disclosures of information and data in the extractive sector will promote public debate, encourage civic action and accountability. accounts.
She urged the association to take a serious interest in the NEITI reports and use the contents to demand not only accountability, but greater participation of women in the sector.
“NEITI, in accordance with the EITI mandate on gender reporting, is conducting a series of studies on the gender impact of extractive activities.
“One of these studies will soon be presented to the public. It focuses on the impact of mining on our communities through the prism of inclusion and gender impact.
“Our goal is to address the huge gap in the gender imbalance in employment, investment and decision-making in extractive sector organizations through empirical evidence based on data and constructive engagements,” he said.
Dr Elizabeth Eterigho, President of APWEN, said the NIAL conference series could be termed as a conference series on capacity development, in particular entrepreneurship.
Eterigho described the honoree, Nkechi Isigwe, as one of the founding members of the association, who answered the clarion call in establishing the association in 1982.
She said that in view of the United Nations (UN) Women's Empowerment Initiative, the 2022 Nkechi Isigwe annual conference was established to empower women, precisely widows.
“For the inaugural edition of the empowerment program, three widows from Umuahia in Abia State residing in Abuja will be beneficiaries of the scheme.
"We believe that this initiative will particularly improve or increase the efforts of widows in training their children in schools, thus leaving a better life," he said.
In support of this initiative, he called on all well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organizations who appreciate the empowerment of women, particularly widows, to support this initiative.
===========Edited
Source Credit: NAN
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) said Nigeria’s energy transition journey must be driven and guided by credible information and data on the country’s energy security.
NEITI said Nigeria must not be allowed to be rushed into hasty energy transition without a thorough analysis of its comparative advantage and implications, resources, economy and livelihoods of citizens.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said this at its National Stakeholders Dialogue on Energy Transition on Thursday in Abuja.
Orji said NEITI had commenced work along with other partners to make Nigerians and stakeholders gain insight into the risks and opportunities associated with energy transition.
He said NEITI, working with international Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), had commissioned a study to examine actual implications and impacts of energy transition on the Nigeria’s oil and gas sector of the economy.
According to him, the report of this study will soon be published and will be widely disseminated to all the stakeholders present at the dialogue.
“As the world transits from the use of fossil fuel to cleaner and sustainable energy, transparency and accountability is critical to the process, including the reporting of emissions, disclosure of climate risks and overall governance of the energy industry.
“Nigeria must prepare to mainstream transparency and accountability mechanism into her energy transition agenda to avoid the pitfalls of her past and present energy sector,” he said.
Ogbonnaya said Nigeria, being an oil and gas dependent country, was vulnerable to the risks and challenges of energy transition, adding that, the global energy transition agenda was already reshaping the oil and gas landscape.
He said the outcome of the dialogue was expected to feed into the country’s transition plan and its implementation.
Ms Nafi Chinery, West African Regional Manager, Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI) Anglophone, appreciated Nigeria’s desire for energy transition.
According to Chinery, African continent’s average per capital electricity consumption sits at about 600 kilowatt hours per year, compared with the world average of about 3.200 kilowatt hours.
She said when compared the consumption with the European Union, U.
S and China, it threw up much stark variations.
“The current global discussions around energy transition places a responsibility on Africa to develop robust plans that will aid the transition towards Net-Zero emissions.
“This will mitigate future impacts of climate change on the continent and reduce the costs of adaptation.
“Nigeria’s emphasis on gas as a transition fuel aligns with the thinking of most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and the African Union Commission in the run up to COP27,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Gabriel Okeowo, Country Director, Budgit Foundation, an NGO, said transition to renewable energy would be a great potential for Nigeria and the continent at large.
He said the private sector would continue to support the Nigerian government to achieved its aims.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) came tops in the latest Freedom of Information (FOI) transparency ranking.
The transparency agency was adjudged second best among 250 other agencies of government who were ranked within the year, according to a statement on Sunday by Obiageli Onuorah, Head, Communications and Advocacy, NEITI.
Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary, NEITI, who welcomed the news with optimism said the ranking was a testimony of NEITI’s commitment to transparency and accountability not just in the extractive sector but also in its internal processes.
“I confirm with delight that our Agency, NEITI came second, behind only the Bureau of Public Service.
“On behalf of the NSWG, Management and Staff, I have accepted the result with high expectations that we work harder to be second to none in future ranking,” Orji added.
He said the independent ranking was in recognition of NEITI’s efforts in the last one year to strengthen our processes, invest more, not only on competency and skills development but also on ethical compliance, value re-orientation and training programme.
Orji, however, said that the achievement was not by NEITI alone, rather a collaboration of the stakeholders engaging in the NEITI process.
“Let us all continue to push the boundaries of transparency and accountability for greater achievement in the governance of Nigeria’s extractive sector.
“I dedicate the honour to our multi-stakeholders represented by our board, the founders of NEITI who laid the solid foundation for our agency to remain an island of excellence, competence and integrity.
“All I have done as the Executive Secretary in managing the secretariat in the last year with their support was to identify potential gaps for possible relapse in our core values and fix them.
“Further strengthening our processes to resist the challenges of today and consolidate on what already exists,” he added.
The ranking was verified by the coalition of civil society organisations comprising the Public Private Partnership Development Centre, International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Budgit, Basic Rights Watch, Media Rights Agenda, and the Rights to Know (R2K) among others.
Some of the criteria for the 2022 FOI ranking are access to procurement-related information from public institutions, proactive disclosures and response to requests.
Public institutions were ranked based on benchmarks for disclosure within the framework of
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), says its report can incentivise revenue generation for the Federal Government.
Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary of NEITI said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, the Federal Government has recovered a total of three billion dollars revenue from oil companies and government agencies following NEITI and National Assembly intervention.
“I realised that NEITI reports should be channeled toward whatever is the priority goal of government at this specific time.
And the priority goal of government at this moment is revenue.
“How do you get money to fund projects and then my challenge was how do we use NEITI’s reports to generate revenue for government.
“I knew that information and data can be translated into revenue generation, so the first thing we did was to look at government agencies and companies that owed government and nobody was talking about that.
“About 77 of these companies were rejecting NEITI’s report and people in the past had no courage to release their names to the public.
“I released their names and I published them because the amount they owed us was up to the excess of 6.8 billion dollars and here Nigeria is borrowing money to fund the budget.
“I said this cannot continue and by the time we released that report and threatened to name the companies, they know the implications to their reputation in international oil market so many of them rushed to pay,’’ Orji said.
“All the taxes have to go to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and all the royalties concessions have to go to the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Commission.
“NEITI does not collect or keep any money and we do not release money or generate revenue but our report can incentivise revenue generation,’’ Orji said.
He said that the number of companies owing reduced from 77 in 2019 to 51 in 2022.
“This means they have been paying and we are using the opportunity we have to warn that 2021 reports will be released by December.
“Any company that has not paid we will drive them to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“We do not want to get to that level because we need the companies to do business in Nigeria.
The companies are very critical in our sector and without the companies that do business in oil and gas, taxes will not be paid and revenue will not be generated.
“But we are saying that the countries where most of the companies come from they don’t owe taxes, they don’t owe royalties.
“In future, I will be thinking of calculating the interest, that is to the extent that NEITI report has continue to help generate revenue,’’ Orji said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
FG recovered N2.6trn revenue from oil coys – NEITI
FG recovered N2.6trn revenue from oil coys – NEITI
Recovery
By Emmanuella Anokam
Abuja, Sept. 14, 2023 The
Federal Government has recovered a total of N2.6 Trillion revenue from oil firms following the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) National Assembly intervention.
NEITI said a total of 2.6 billion dollars remained outstanding in the hands of companies as at March 2022.
Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of NEITI, said
this on Tuesday in Abuja at its Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and media engagement on Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) validation.
The EITI validation, which is conducted every three years is a quality assurance mechanism to ascertain level of compliance and progress in implementing its standards among member countries, including Nigeria.
Orji said NEITI’s financial report led to the recovery of the debt.
“By the time we release 2021 report, any company owing Nigeria we have no choice than to invite EFCC to take over and handle it as an economic crime,” he said.
He said the recovery was as a result of NEITI’s appearance at the National Assembly to defend its position based on data it provided.
Recently, NEITI released 2019 reports which included list of 77 oil and gas companies that owed the government up to 6.8 billion dollars.
The National Assembly had summoned the organisation to come and defend it by showing how it arrived at that.
According to Orji, as soon as it released the 2020 report to prove that, the companies that wanted their names protected were rushing to the relevant agencies to pay up.
He revealed that from 77 companies, they number decreased to 51 companies and the amount came down to 3.6 billion dollars.
“Which shows that from the point we released that information a lot of money came in.
None of them disputed our report rather they were giving excuses why they did not pay.
“The money include all taxes and VAT being collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and all royalties being collected by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“NEITI collects nothing, all we are asking is for us to be recognised and offered thank you,” he said.
He said that through NEITI, there had been increased demand, easy access and availability of verified information and data in the public domain.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration should take credit on doing well on extractives sector reforms.
“The content of our up to date reports is very incisive and is shaping public debates,” the executive secretary said.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has welcomed with high expectation, the transition of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation to an independent limited liability Company.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, who witnessed the unveiling on Tuesday in Abuja, expressed hope that with the transition to a commercial entity, it was in a better position to compete favourably with leading international oil companies globally.
Orji, in a statement by Mrs Obiageli Onuora, Head, Communications and Advocacy, NEITI said that the transition was in line with the recommendations of NEITI industry reports for the oil and gas sector.
The report covered 1999 to 2019 which equally led to the emergence of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA).
He said in the NEITI oil and gas reports that covered 1999 – 2019, NEITI had consistently recommended that Nigeria’s national oil company should be privatised to make it competitive like other national oil companies across the globe.
“Nigeria needs a business oriented NNPC to deliver the country’s energy needs, energy transition, energy security, diversification of its economy and the building of a sustainable energy future for the country, ” Orji added.
He further explained that the immediate challenges that the new NNPC needed to tackle was to free Nigeria from fuel importation.
“The immediate questions that an average Nigerian is asking are what is likely to change from the NNPC we know and the new NNPC Limited?
What will happen to jobs, institutions, profit making, transparency and accountability, ” he said.
He commended the new team in NNPC and the present administration for the political will to get this reform done.
Orji expressed confidence that the NNPC Ltd.
would live up to its obligations as a supporting company of the global EITI.
He reiterated its call on the Federal Government to replicate the same feat for the solid minerals sector.
According to the transparency boss, “Nigeria’s solid minerals sector also needs a holding company similar to NNPC Ltd.
NEITI is advocating for the NLNG model which has proven to be sustainable, profitable and accountable.
Despite the challenges faced by the oil and gas sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, NLNG in Nigeria posted profits and even dividends.
This is remarkable”.
With this unveiling, some of the provisions in the PIA have been met, while NNPC ranks among national oil and gas companies to be publicly listed in Africa with an initial share capital of N200 billion and net assets of more than $59 billion.
NEITI is confident that the PIA Steering Committee (PIASTEERCO), to which it is a member, will ensure that the provisions of the PIA are implemented to the letter and Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is positioned for a profitable and sustainable future.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
A roadmap on Nigeria’s engagements in the energy transition programme is to be unveiled soon by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, announced this in Abuja at a workshop held by NEITI in collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) based in the United States.
Orji, in a statement on Wednesday by Mrs Obiageli Onuorah, Head, Communications and Advocacy, NEITI, explained that the roadmap would be comprehensive in content.
He said the roadmap would have a framework that contains information and data to drive the implementation of the Federal Government’s overall Energy Transition Plan recently approved by the Federal Executive Council.
Orji also said that the workshop was organised to seek the views and advise of NEITI’s Board and Senior Management Team as well as the collaboration of the NRGI in relation to the subject matter.
The collaboration with the NRGI is part of NEITI’s ongoing stakeholders’ engagements that aim to develop the needed roadmap.
According to Orji, the transition from carbon-based energy to renewable energy has far-reaching implications for the global economy, particularly Nigeria.
“The implications for Nigeria, a highly natural resource revenues dependent country, are very huge, especially with regard to energy security, citizens livelihood, job opportunities and economic development”.
“For us at NEITI, we have legitimate interest and duty to help our country develop comprehensive content to guide it’s rule of engagements required to maximise the opportunities in energy transition while minimising its associated risks,” the statement quoted Orji as saying.
Orji disclosed that a national dialogue on Energy Transition will be held in Abuja in September this year to discuss the roadmap.
The Chairman of the NEITI Board, Mr Olusegun Adekunle, in his remarks, reaffirmed the commitment of the board to provide NEITI with the required policy direction that could aid the development of the roadmap.
Adekunle described energy transition as the future of the industry.
He also charged participants at the workshop to take advantage of the event to build their skills and improve their knowledge on energy transition.
Ms Nafi Chinery, the West African Regional Manager of NRGI, underlined the need to include diversification of Nigeria’s economy as one of the priorities in the country’s energy transition response.
“Nigeria has a chance to minimise the economic shocks from the energy transition, but can only do so if the government responds quickly by making evidence-based decisions.
“The country can also minimise economic shocks by putting in place appropriate measures to mitigate the risks and enhance the benefits and diversification potential provided energy transition,” Chinery said.
The Minister of Environment, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, represented by Head, Environmental Impact Assessment, Mr Celestine Gomwalk, disclosed that a National Council on climate Cpchange had been established by the ministry to support the implementation of energy transition program.
Gomwalk welcomed with delight the evolving partnership with NEITI in the areas of planning, capacity building, information and data sharing toward ensuring a national coordinated energy transition project.
The workshop witnessed presentations from leading energy experts drawn from within and outside the country.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has hailed the declaration of a renowned environmental activist, Chima Williams as one of the six winners of 2022 prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.
A statement on Sunday by Mrs Obiageli Onuorah, Deputy Communications and Advocacy said Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, NEITI made this known in his congratulatory message to the environmental activist.
Williams, a lawyer and founding member of the Civil Society Steering Committee of NEITI won the Prize for Africa as a result of his leadership in championing environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
This was through his legal fight for the clean-up of the Ogoni land especially helping three communities in the Niger Delta.
He helped Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo communities in Ogoni land, Bayelsa State to win the 13-year-old case for the oil spills and environmental damages against Shell at The Hague.
He was also part of the legal team that litigated the action against gas flaring in the Iwherekan community in Delta State in 2005.
Orji described William’s win as “Victory for environmental justice to oil, gas and mining host communities in Nigeria.
“It is also an encouraging development to NEITI’s commitment to push the boundaries of civic space in tackling environmental degradation in Nigeria which is in line with EITI standards,” Orji stated.
The NEITI executive secretary said that, Williams through the years had been committed and dogged in his advocacy for justice and equity for vulnerable citizens, especially those who resided in the Niger Delta region.
Winners from other continents include Niwat Roykaew of Thailand who won the prize for Asia, Marjan Minnessma of the Netherlands who won the prize for Europe and Juliet Vincent who picked the prize for Australia.
Others are Nalleli Cobo of the U.S. who collected the prize for North America as well as Alex Luciatante and Alexandra Narvaez from Ecuador who jointly won the prize for South America.
The global award, known as Nobel Prize for grassroots advocacy to protect the environment” was announced in a virtual ceremony held on May 25, 2022 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We hope that as Nigeria moves into environmental reporting, Williams, a valuable resource person on environmental issues, will bring his wealth of experience, skills, and expertise to guide and complement our efforts as we engage the sector, ” Orji said.
The award was announced at the time Williams was in Abuja as a lead discussant at a seminar on addressing environment challenges in Nigeria.
The Goldman Environmental Prize started in 1989 and is awarded annually to honour the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists from each of the world’s six inhabited continental regions.
The Prize recognizes individuals for their sustained significant efforts in protecting the environment and seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world.
Williams is the third Nigerian to receive the prize after the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa won it in 1995.
(NAN)
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has underscored the need to go beyond global standard prescription to address peculiar gender and environmental issues within Nigeria’s extractive industry.
Mr Olusegun Adekunle, Chairman, National Stakeholders’ Working Group (NEITI Board) made this known at its validation workshop on “Development of Frameworks for Gender and Environmental Impacts Reporting in Extractive Industry” on Tuesday in Abuja.
In a keynote address, Adekunle said that the frameworks were being developed to reflect the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standard.
The chairman recalled that in 2020, Nigeria EITI published the first data on gender participation and environmental practices in the industry.
He said beyond the audits, it had also carried out exploratory studies to understand the specific gender and environmental issues in the sector, and to generate insights about the scope of the impacts.
Armed with the initial outputs of these studies and engagements, he said it was close to defining the parameters for disclosure on gender and the environmental impacts.
According to the chairman, the framework will aggregate the knowledge that it has generated in the last two years.
“We are here as stakeholders, to review the work that has been done so far and to make valuable inputs towards finalising the reporting frameworks for gender and environmental impacts.
“However, we should go beyond what the global standard currently prescribes, to address the peculiar gender and environmental issues that we may be dealing within our nation’s extractive industry,’’ he said.
He recalled that the EITI was founded 20 years ago on the noble principles of equity and sustainable development, adding that these principles remained relevant today if not more than they were in 2002.
“While the EITI was established with the objective of disclosing payments and revenues from extractive resources, the global institution has made significant progress in facilitating openness through the entire processes in the resource extraction value chain.
“In 2019, resource extracting countries committed to disclose data and information on gender and the environment.
“This decision is a recognition of the growing impact that the activities in the extractive industry continue to have on human communities and the natural environment.
“The decision also signposts the urgent need for global and country level action to facilitate gender inclusion and environmental accountability in the extractive sector,’’ he said.
He emphasised the need for data that would help government to design policies to improve the conditions of our target communities and the environment.
Earlier, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, NEITI while highlighting the background of the project, said his immediate task on appointment, was to assess the status of Nigeria’s commitments under the new EITI Standard.
“The assessment left me with no doubt that we must deepen the foundation that was already being laid for the implementation of the evolving issues in EITI implementation.
“Two of these policy areas are social and environmental impacts of extractive industry operations,’’ the executive secretary said.
“We believed that this framework will enable us not only meet specific EITI requirements, but will help us to define the scope to reflect all issues of gender and environmental impacts within our local (national) context,’’ he said.
Orji noted his second consideration as the need to mainstream gender and environmental impact reporting within existing government systems and institutions equipped with the mandate and capacity to do so.
“While NEITI is mandated to implement EITI in Nigeria, we do not generate industry data. This is the responsibility of covered entities and relevant institutions. NEITI subsequently collects this data to publish in the annual audit reports.
“While NEITI is reporting industry data through the tradition process of data collection and reconciliation, the long-term goal is to mainstream disclosure practices,’’ he said.
He expressed optimism that the contributions of stakeholders would substantially enrich the framework and lay a solid foundation for effective future reporting of gender and environmental impact of extractive industry activities.
The workshop has in attendance NEITI civil society partners, members of the academic community, researchers and experts. ()
(NAN)
