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Buhari gets December deadline to reconstitute NEITI board

President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to reconstitute the Governing Board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) known as the Multi Stakeholder Working Group (MSWG) on or before December 31st, 2021.

The Policy Director of the International Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, EITI, Ines Marques, who made the call at a virtual meeting organised by NEITI to validate its 2019 Oil, Gas and Solid Minerals Audit reports, said the EITI was monitoring development in Nigeria.

The tenure of the last board expired in February, 2020 and its absence has delayed the publication of NEITI’s audit reports on the oil and gas, and solid minerals sectors for 2019.

Marques noted that “the EITI International Board is monitoring the Nigerian government’s effort to reconstitute the national stakeholder working group and we have urged the government to reconstitute this group as soon as possible in adherence to the EITI principles and requirements.”

According to her, Nigeria has a deadline of December 31, 2021, to not only ensure the reconstitution of the MSWG but to also ensure that the board endorses the 2019 oil, gas and solid minerals sector reports by that date.

“We are also conscious of the effort NEITI is making to coordinate with the relevant stakeholders to make this happen as soon as possible. We have also encouraged NEITI to ensure that the MSWG, once reconstituted, endorses the report by the deadline on Dec 31st, 2021,” she said.

Marques who oversees the development, revisions and implementation of EITI standard, pointed out that stakeholder oversight remains a critical pillar in the EITI process requiring government to work with civil society organisations and companies.

She harped on the need to NEITI to release the industry reports for 2019, adding that the report which has been in the final stages for a while needs to be out in the public domain as timely information can help inform public debate and use by stakeholders, even as she urged stakeholders to scrutinise the findings of the report and to ensure that recommendations are followed.

She added: “Improving the management of the oil, gas and mining industry and maximizing revenues from the sector will be key to support Nigeria’s post Covid recovery and to ensure that the country is well braced to address the implications of the energy transition effect on its economy.”

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, explained that Section 4(3) of the NEITI Act enables the agency to go ahead and release the 2019 audit report after stakeholder consultations in the absence of a board.

According to him, further delay in the release of the report will amount to distraction to the NEITI process, urging stakeholders to give consent to the release of the reports since it is in line with the EITI Rules and NEITI Act.

“It is frustrating that after doing a good work the report has been in the cooler,” Dr Orji stated.

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