The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have strengthened collaboration to fight corruption in the oil, gas, and mining sectors.
NEITI’s Deputy Director/Head Communications & Stakeholder Management, Mrs Obiageli Onuorah disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Mrs Onuorah said, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, and the Executive Chairman EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede made the commitments when a delegation of the NEITI Management Team paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji explained that the purpose of the visit was to strengthen the existing ties, partnership, and cooperation between the two Anti-Corruption Agencies in information and data sharing, investigation, and prosecution of financial crimes in the oil, gas, and mining industries.
The NEITI Executive Secretary told the EFCC Chief Executive that NEITI’s visit became necessary following the recent change of leadership at the Commission and the importance of sustaining the existing alliances, support, and cooperation under the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the EFCC and NEITI signed since 2021.
Dr. Orji reminded the new EFCC Chairman, that under the MoU, the EFCC and NEITI would work closely to enforce full compliance of companies and government agencies to NEITI processes and the implementation of the findings and recommendations of NEITI industry reports.
“We see EFCC as our ally and partner that we cannot afford to play with, our allies are few, with a partnership like yours”. Dr. Orji stated.
The NEITI Executive Secretary requested the Commission to support the Agency’s plans to expand its operations to the sub-national government with offices in the six geo-political zones within the nearest future.
The Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, described as highly commendable, NEITI’s courage, depth of knowledge, and professionalism in the discharge of its mandates.
The EFCC Chairman remarked “We in EFCC take our partnership with agencies like NEITI very seriously. My tenure at EFCC will strengthen, sustain, and solidify our existing bonds in exchange of data, information, skills, and expertise from the point of investigation, prosecution, and conviction”.
The Chairman urged NEITI to expand and deploy its beneficial ownership register for easier access to other anti-corruption agencies to help public disclosures, deeper measures to check fraud and curb corruption.
He also encouraged NEITI to take public awareness seriously to educate,
enlighten and inform the people. The Executive Secretary of NEITI was accompanied on the visit by his senior management team.
