The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has hinted on plans to publish the 2023 Annual Progress Report (APR) of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) implementation in Nigeria by June 30, 2024.
The agency dropped the hint during the Stakeholder’s Consultation/Validation Workshop on the APR of the Nigeria’s oil, gas and mining sectors, on Thursday at the NEITI House, Abuja.
Speaking during the meeting, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji said, the programme was designed to validate the inputs of stakeholders and have them reflected in the 2023 Annual Progress Report of the Nigeria Extractive Industries in line with the requirements of the global EITI.
Dr. Orji who was represented by the Coordinating Director of the Executive Secretary’s Department, Mrs. Jane Onwumere further stated that the overall objective was to deepen EITI implementation in Nigeria and report on its progress, outcomes and impacts.
The NEITI boss noted that the “annual progress reporting is not just a NEITI Secretariat business alone, it concerns all the stakeholders whose works in their various organizations have been contributing to achieving EITI objectives in Nigeria”.
He explained that “the global EITI requirement 1.5 under its 2023 standard mandates all implementing countries, including Nigeria to document their review of impacts and outcomes of the EITI implementation in an Annual Progress Report (APR) or through other means as may be agreed by Multi-Stakeholders Group (MSG).
“The global body also requires that all stakeholders – companies, government and civil society involved in the EITI process, including those not on the MSG, should be able to participate in reviewing the impact of EITI implementation, provide feedbacks, and have their views reflected in the annual progress report.
“The program also provides us an opportunity to evaluate and celebrate progress, milestones and achievements recorded through our various organization’s program and activities in the oil gas and mining sector within the period under review, through the mechanism of EITI annual progress reporting.
“Therefore, APR is about documenting, reporting, showcasing and celebrating the good work being done by various stakeholders – government agencies, civil society organizations and companies that have been contributing in one way or another, to deepening reforms in Nigeria’s extractive industries”, he said.
While acknowledging that there are still many issues to be addressed in the sectors, the ES said, there was a need to document, report and celebrate those efforts and progress so far made in the process of addressing those issues so as to build trust, earn citizens/investors’ confidence and attract the desired investment into our extractive sectors and the economy.
Giving the key highlights of the 2023 APR in the Nigeria Extractive Industries in a presentation, the Director/Head Policy Planning and Strategy Department, NEITI, Dr. Dieter Bassi said, the APR documents progress, outcomes and impacts of EITI implementation in Nigeria, and assesses the implementation of NEITI country work plan in 2023.
Dr. Bassi said, the report also documents progress recorded by stakeholders whose programmes/activities in the course of carrying out their mandates helped deliver EITI objectives and contributed to reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas, and mining sectors.
He, however, stated that the weaknesses identified in the EITI Process in Nigeria, according to the report, were limited Sub-national outreach, timely implementation of NEITI audit recommendations and mainstreaming and systematic disclosure.
On her part, a former member of the EITI International Board, Mrs. Faith Nwadishi expressed concern over consistent dissolution of NEITI Board by successive governments, and called for a change.
She said, “the fact that each time a new government comes into office and dissolve the EITI Board in the country is a concern, because that can lead to the suspension of the country.
“We were lucky that the Board was eventually put together. But I am sure that if the NEITI Board has not been put together, with the EITI International Board meeting happening right now in Geneva, Switzerland, it would have been a serious concern. We had the same issue in 2016. It is important that we understand the role of the Board”, Mrs. Nwadishi said.
She also observed that not a lot of Civil Society reports have been captured in the APR, therefore, urged them to engage and send in their reports. “It is called country work plan because it has the inputs of all the stakeholders, civil societies, government, companies so as to have ownership of the report”, she said.
