The Federal Ministry of Environment is to work with the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to implement the environmental compliance requirements in the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard.
Consequently, the ministry said it has offered to provide NEITI with the institutional platform that would provide easy access to available reports on environment impact assessments, existing policies and reports on environmental pollution as well as strategic direction on government’s action plan for the environment.
These documents, the ministry said, would guide NEITI’s engagement on environment issues.
Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor stated this in Abuja at a meeting with the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Ogbonnaya Orji.
Ikeazor commended NEITI for its initiative to expand its operations to issues on environment at a time when environmental issues in the EITI Standard are yet to gain the desired attention.
“It is a win-win for Nigeria and we will support efforts in this direction,” ghe minister said.
She invited NEITI to serve on its special inter-ministerial committee on the environment.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Ogbonnaya Orji welcomed the emerging partnership and collaboration with the ministry of environment in the implementation of the environment compliance requirements in the EITI Standard.
“The partnership with the ministry of environment has become necessary as a result of the strong linkages between the environment, environment, pollution, health hazards, mining and oil and gas explorations”, the NEITI Executive Secretary said.
“The decision of the global EITI, which Nigeria is a member, to expand its mandate to environment is as a result of the devastating effect of environment degradation to the host communities of oil, gas and mining activities and the negative impact on health, living standards and poverty in the affected communities,” Orji said.
He said the EITI, which Nigeria is implementing, also identified the close link between environment abuses to security of lives and property in and around extractive industries host communities.
NEITI, he said, was set to commission a comprehensive study on the impacts of mining on the environment and the implication on investment and revenue generation in the extractive sector.
He welcomed the invitation of the Minister for NEITI to serve on the special ministerial committee on environment.
The meeting agreed for closer cooperation between NEITI and the ministry in the areas of technical support, reliable content built on information, data and capacity building.
