Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) committed to transparency and accountability in the oil, gas, and mining sectors have resolved to close ranks and forge a common front to advance good governance of the extractive sector in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Deputy Director/Head Communications & Stakeholders Management, NEITi, Mrs Obiageli Onuorah on Sunday.
The statement said, rising from an enlarged all-inclusive consultative forum convened by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative NEITI, the CSOs underlined the need for unity, commiand tment to reconciliation to ensure effective discharge of their roles as an important stakeholder in the NEITI/EITI process.
Mrs Onuorah said, the CSO forum further resolved to commence healing and reconciliation process to build stronger partnership in using NEITI reports to push for reforms under the NEITI/EITI principles of transparency and accountability.
At the meeting, she disclosed that an all inclusive Committee to harmonize existing frameworks & platforms of engagements into a comprehensive NEITI-CSO Constituency Guideline for the sector was set up.
She said, the new guideline to be developed was to be modeled after EITI Constituency guideline released at the Dakar Global Conference in June this year.
According to the statement, the Seven Man Committee was Chaired by Tijah Bolton, Executive Director, Policy Alert and Mrs Juliet UkanNwosu, Executive Director, Extractive 360 as Secretary of the Committee.
Other members of the Committee include Mr. Taiwo Otitolaye: Co-ordinator, Publish What You Pay Nigeria (PWYP), Mrs Faith Nwadishi: Executive Director, Centre for Transparency and Accountability (CTA), Dr Mina Ogbanga: Executive Director, Centre for Development Support Initiatives (CEDSI) and Mr. Bassey Udo, Chairman, Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI).
The CSOs commended NEITI Secretariat for initiating and facilitating the meeting and called for sustained regular engagements.
CSOs welcomed the Federal Government special support to NEITI Secretariat to secure a befitting permanent Office Accommodation and commended NEITI’s prompt utilisation of the opportunity.
CSOs urged the EITI globally to acknowledge the permanent office accomplishment by Nigeria for NEITI as a rare innovation worthy of emulation by other EITI implementing countries.
The meeting welcomed capacity programmes planned for CSO’s especially on the 2023 EITI Standard & EITI implementation in Nigeria and look forward to its implementation.
