EITI Validation: Nigeria Targets 100% Score, As CSOs Back NEITI
By Juliet Ukanwosu
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has reaffirmed the country’s readiness for the forthcoming global EITI Validation exercise, targeting the maximum score of 100percent.
Speaking during a consultative forum with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja, on the exercise which is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2026, Executive Secretary of NEITI, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, assured of Nigeria’s full preparedness for the Validation.
Adar explained that the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) has systematically addressed corrective actions from the last validation report, including stakeholder engagement, contract disclosure, resource-backed loans, subnational transfers, and state-owned enterprise transparency.
He stated that NEITI has also facilitated discussions on the new validation model, templates, and corrective actions with the three major constituencies namely; civil society, government, and companies.
The Executive Secretary informed that NEITI is working closely with the three major constituencies as well as development partners to ensure all documentation and disclosures required under the 2023 EITI Standard are complete and accessible.
He said: “Nigeria has taken deliberate steps to close gaps identified in the last validation. We are stronger, more coordinated, and ready to demonstrate our progress to the global EITI community. Validation is not just compliance. It is proof of Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance in managing our extractive resources.
“Together with our partners, we will ensure that every disclosure is ready, every corrective action addressed, and every constituency fully engaged. Nigeria is prepared to lead by example.”
While urging civil society and the media to engage with validation templates and provide inputs, Adar, stated that validation is not just about compliance, but an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s sustained commitment to reforms and continuous improvement in its extractive sector governance.
Chairman of the NEITI NSWG, Senator George Akume, who was represented by Dr. Leo Akpan, the South-South Zonal representative on the NSWG, emphasized that the NSWG is actively working to ensure Nigeria emerges stronger, adopts key learnings, and delivers tangible benefits to its citizens.
He stressed the importance of immediate, unified action and called for strengthened cooperation between NEITI, CSOs, and the media, acknowledging these groups as vital pillars of the validation process.
Also speaking at the event, civil society representative on the NEITI NSWG and Chair of the Communications and Civil Society Steering Committee, Dr. Erisa Danladi, said that the meeting was convened to validate sector inputs into the EITI stakeholders’ template.
She stated that Validation should not be seen merely as a compliance exercise or a scorecard, but rather, it should serve as a continuous learning and improvement process aimed at strengthening governance systems and delivering better outcomes for citizens.
She assured that CSOs will continue to play a critical role in ensuring that extractive sector information reaches citizens and informs public discourse, while also consistently monitoring the implementation of NEITI recommendations
For her part, NEITI’s Director of Communications and Stakeholders Management, Dr. Obiageli Onuorah, affirmed Nigeria’s strong standing, citing recent steps to address corrective actions.
She particularly, noted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Human Rights Commission to protect civic space, describing it as an innovative and trail-blazing move which the EITI celebrated.
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