Group Seek Strengthened Reform Ahead Of Nigeria’s EITI Validation
By Gift Eguavoen
As Nigeria prepares for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Validation in 2026, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), in partnership with the Koyenum Immalah Foundation (KIF) and Women in Extractives (WiE), has called on stakeholders to fully support Nigeria through this critical process.
Urging all stakeholders including government agencies, the National Assembly, civil society, industry actors and development partners to support Nigeria’s Validation process, the group said it is imperative that recommendations and corrective actions from the last validation are fully addressed to strengthen Nigeria’s standing within the global EITI community.
The call was made as the group warmly congratulates the new Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar who officially resumed duties on Tuesday.
The group also commended the immediate past Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, for successfully completing his five-year single tenure as stipulated by the NEITI Act 2007.
Speaking on the transition, Faith Nwadishi, Executive Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) and former member of the NEITI and EITI global board noted that the transition offers Nigeria an opportunity to deepen transparency and strengthen accountability in the extractive sector.
Nwadishi stated that Dr. Orji’s leadership significantly advanced transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s extractive governance system.
According to her, his tenure saw robust stakeholder engagement across government, civil society, industry, and host communities, expanded EITI reporting, including disclosures on greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 2023 EITI Standard, strengthened public trust and relocation of NEITI to its permanent site for ease of operations.
Welcoming Adar, Nwadishi noted that his extensive legislative experience, including his role as Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), positions him strongly to lead NEITI through a transformative era.
Setting an agenda for him she said, “We particularly encourage the new Executive Secretary to champion the review of the NEITI Act 2007, a reform that is long overdue. We urge him to leverage his deep experience in the National Assembly to ensure this vital legislative amendment is brought to fruition.”
She added that updating the Act is crucial to aligning Nigeria’s legal framework with the evolving EITI Standards, which have advanced to the 2023 EITI Standard, the fourth edition, reflecting modern global expectations on transparency, energy transition, environment, gender, contract disclosure and anti-corruption safeguards.
“We further call on the new Executive Secretary in collaboration with the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) to strengthen Nigeria’s compliance with the 2023 Standard and deepen gender-responsive and community-centred engagement, drive progress on the review of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and ensure the effective implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021,” she added.
Speaking further, Nwadishi urged the new executive secretary to also reinforce mechanisms for ensuring that NEITI industry report recommendations translate into concrete reforms and accountability actions.
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