The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnya Orji, has called on the Civil Society Organisations to redefine role under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
Dr. Orji noted that while the roles of governments and extractive companies under the EITI are clear and well-defined, the role of Civil Society must now be elevated beyond routine advocacy.
According to him, the time is ripe for the CSOs to move from simply demanding accountability to providing knowledge-based, evidence-driven, and solution-oriented leadership that adds real value to governance.
Dr. Orji made the call on Monday during a Courtesy call on the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, in Abuja.
He said the new agenda calls for civil society to lead in energy transition accountability by developing scorecards that track government and company commitments, and by shaping community transition plans so that no one is left behind.
“It calls for CSOs to go beyond demanding contract and beneficial ownership disclosures, to analysing them, interpreting risks, and distilling lessons for policy and citizens.
“It calls for more engagement on resource mobilisation and fiscal justice, providing alternative policy options on revenue, subsidy reforms, debt sustainability, and equitable development.
“And it calls for vigilance in curbing illicit financial flows, building civic observatories, and collaborating with investigative journalists, financial intelligence units, and global watchdogs,” he said.
NEITI boss disclosed that the agency has deliberately created institutional linkages to support civil society in the journey.
“We reinvigorated the Inter-Ministerial Task Team to follow up on audit recommendations, and strengthened the Companies Forum to bring government, industry, and citizens into regular dialogue.
“We are building a Data Center to house real-time disclosures on revenues, contracts, ownership, host community funds, and energy transition. Our 2024 industry reports in oil, gas, and solid minerals are currently underway and expected before the end of the year.
“We have also signed Memoranda of Understanding with the EFCC, ICPC, and NFIU, and are concluding others with the National Bureau of Statistics and NNPC Ltd. These agreements will be followed by joint technical committees to drive implementation.
“All these platforms are open windows for civil society to gain deeper access to partners in government and the extractive industries, and to leverage them in making civic work more visible and impactful,” he said.
Dr. Orji therefore, called on CISLAC to work closely with NEITI to lead the debate within the civil society constituency. Reiterating that the time has come for CSOs to look inward and embrace this new agenda—an agenda that elevates their roles from monitoring NEITI to providing broader oversight of the extractive industries, from routine advocacy to knowledge leadership, from episodic interventions to structured impact.
While acknowledging that the civil society has been the backbone of Nigeria’s EITI journey, Dr. Orji said the future demands more.
“It demands that Civil Society Organisations evolve from watchdogs to solution-providers, from activists to knowledge leaders, from observers to reform architects.
The next chapter of Nigeria’s extractive governance will depend on how boldly civil society defines and assumes this higher responsibility,” he noted.
Earlier in his Welcome Address, the Executive Director, CISLAC) Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, noted that NEITI remains one of the most strategic institutions driving transparency, accountability, and reform in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
The said over the years, the agency’s work has provided critical data, exposed gaps, and pushed for reforms that have saved the country billions and informed policy decisions.
“Your commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s vast oil, gas, and solid mineral resources translate to tangible development outcomes has been invaluable, especially in a country where resource wealth has too often failed to deliver on its promise.
“We at CISLAC, and in our broader role as Transparency International Nigeria, recognize NEITI not just as a partner but as a frontline champion of open governance,” he added.
The CISLAC director underscores the need for the agencies to recommit to their shared values of transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement.
“Let us continue to champion reforms that make the extractive sector more responsive to the needs of ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
