By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initi...
By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, has called for a renewed agenda for civil society organisations in Nigeria to strengthen their role in extractive sector governance.
Dr. Orji made the call during a courtesy visit to the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in Abuja, where he emphasised the vital role of civil society globally in shaping governance outcomes, amplifying citizen voices, defending transparency norms, and driving reforms.
He noted that within the framework of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), civil society has consistently demanded transparency, protected civic space, and worked to ensure that reforms lead to real improvements in citizens’ lives.
Dr. Orji urged civil society organisations in Nigeria to lead accountability efforts in the energy transition by tracking government and corporate commitments and by shaping community transition plans. He encouraged them to move beyond merely demanding disclosures of contracts and beneficial ownership data, to analysing these documents and interpreting their risks. He also called for more active engagement in resource mobilisation and fiscal justice by offering alternative policy proposals on revenue, subsidy reforms, and debt sustainability. Furthermore, he stressed the need for vigilance in combating illicit financial flows through collaboration with investigative journalists, financial intelligence units, and international watchdogs.
Highlighting NEITI’s institutional support for civil society, Dr. Orji mentioned ongoing efforts such as the reinvigoration of the Inter-Ministerial Task Team, strengthening of the Companies Forum, establishment of a real-time Data Center, and signing of Memoranda of Understanding with agencies like the EFCC, ICPC, and NFIU.
He specifically encouraged CISLAC to assume leadership within the civil society space, urging it to transition from routine advocacy to knowledge leadership, and from conventional monitoring to a broader oversight role in the extractive industries. Dr. Orji challenged the organisation to begin publishing peer-reviewed scholarly journals to enhance research, teaching, and the academic foundation of civic engagement.
He emphasised that civil society has been the backbone of Nigeria’s EITI journey and called on organisations like CISLAC to evolve into solution providers, knowledge leaders, and reform architects. NEITI, he said, remains fully committed to promoting an open civic space and strengthening collaboration with civil society partners.
In his response, the Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, welcomed the visit as a reaffirmation of the shared commitment to transparency, accountability, and reform in Nigeria’s extractive sector. He recalled CISLAC’s early involvement in advocating for Nigeria’s adoption of the EITI framework and its push for a legal foundation that culminated in the enactment of the NEITI Act in 2007, following the country's voluntary sign-up to EITI in 2003.
Rafsanjani described CISLAC and NEITI as natural allies with a people-centred vision that Nigeria’s natural resources should serve the interests of all citizens. He highlighted the longstanding partnership between both organisations, which has included policy dialogues, public awareness campaigns, host community engagements, beneficial ownership transparency advocacy, and joint efforts to amplify audit findings and demand public accountability.
He also noted the current challenges facing the extractive sector, including declining oil revenues, the complexities of energy transition, and governance risks in the solid minerals industry. However, he stressed that these challenges also offer opportunities for stronger collaboration between CISLAC and NEITI, particularly in the areas of tracking audit recommendation implementation, legislative advocacy, capacity building, and raising public awareness.
Rafsanjani reaffirmed CISLAC’s commitment to transparency and accountability, calling for greater citizen engagement and urging continued cooperation to drive reforms that make the extractive sector more responsive to the needs of ordinary Nigerians. He concluded by emphasising that the true wealth of a nation lies not in its natural resources, but in how those resources are managed and shared.
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