The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Coalition on Friday renewed their commitments to a stronger relationship towards deepening the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Nigeria.
As part of the new pact, the two organisations also resolved to establish a new working relationship to be driven by constructive engagements, partnership and collaboration to improve good governance in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
The resolutions were the outcome of a meeting between the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji and a high-ranking international delegation from the global headquarters of Publish What You Pay International which visited NEITI House in Abuja.
During the visit, Dr Orji assured his visitors of the readiness of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) of NEITI to work in closer collaboration and mutual respect with the organization at all levels.
“Your visit is timely and quite significant to NEITI, especially coming after a similar mission by the EITI in Nigeria and for the newly reconstituted NEITI Board,” Orji said.
He explained that for the Secretariat and the Board, the visit provides the platform to review the existing relationship between PWYP and NEITI, rebuild confidence and trust and identify new areas of collaboration.
“Publish What You Pay is a key player in the global EITI, a major stakeholder and a civil society organization whose activities led to the EITI as a global initiative. PWYP and NEITI share a lot in common in the areas of advocacy for transparent natural resources governance, information and data disclosure, dissemination, citizens engagement, protection of civic space, human rights and civil liberties, especially in the extractive industries environment,” the Executive Secretary said.
Dr Orji who informed the delegation that the newly constituted National Stakeholders Working Group was already working on an elaborated working plan to strengthen civil society participation and engagements in NEITI process through deliberate support and capacity building, invited the PWYP to get involved to play a leading role under the guidance of the NSWG.
He reassured the visitors that with their visit and the frank discussions and ideas shared, a new chapter was opened for NEITI and PWYP to collaborate and work together to deliver on their programmes and activities in Nigeria.
He used the opportunity to congratulate the civil society constituency for an engaging, open and transparent election, which led to the selection of a representative of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the NEITI Board.
“Let me thank PWYP for putting forward a quality candidate and to the civil society for a credible choice of Dr Erisa Danladi Sarki to sit as CSO representative on the NEITI National Stakeholders Working Group (NEITI Board).
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Director, Member Engagement at Publish What You Pay International, Ms Stephanie Rochford, expressed her enthusiasm over the partnership with NEITI.
She expressed appreciation of PYWP for all efforts by NEITI to support and engage civil society, adding that a positive juncture was reached during the visit, and PWYP was committed to abide by, to advance the collaboration.
Ms. Rochford appealed for NEITI’s support to the ongoing campaign of the PWYP on contract disclosure and urged NEITI to join the campaign for gender equity in the sharing and allocation of opportunities in the extractive sector.
The Senior Regional Coordinator, PWYP Anglophone Africa, Vincent Egoro commended NEITI for extending an open door for PWYP to engage with the agency.
He pledged PWYP’s support in ensuring that the engagement strengths of civil society organisations in other countries was replicated in Nigeria.
“PWYP is available and will support civil society organisations, guide them on how to engage on the validation exercise”. Mr. Egoro pledged.
The International Coordinator for PWYP, Monday Osasa, who is also the Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Center LSD), commended NEITI’s efforts on the recovery of revenues to government through provision of data and information on where these resources are.
He advised NEITI to convene meetings for the leadership of coalitions in preparation for validation whenever the call for the assessment was made.
The delegation included the newly elected representative of civil society organizations on the NEITI Board, Dr Erisa Danladi Sarki.
