By Onu Okorie

Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative NEITI says the country is fully prepared for the 2026 global validation exercise of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative EITI, with civil society organisations expressing strong support for Nigeria’s transparency and accountability efforts in the extractive sector.

Speaking at a consultative forum in Abuja ahead of the validation scheduled to commence on July 1, NEITI Executive Secretary, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, said Nigeria had taken significant steps to address corrective actions identified during the previous validation exercise.

According to him, “the National Stakeholders Working Group NSWG has systematically implemented reforms covering stakeholder engagement, contract disclosure, resource-backed loans, subnational transfers and transparency in state-owned enterprises.”

“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,”

He noted that NEITI had also held extensive consultations with the three key constituencies in the EITI process, government, civil society and extractive companies, on the new validation model, templates and outstanding corrective actions.

Describing the validation as more than a compliance exercise, Adar said it reflects Nigeria’s commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance in the management of the country’s oil, gas and solid mineral resources.

“Validation is not just compliance. It is proof of Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance in managing our extractive resources,” he said.

The NEITI boss added that the agency was working closely with government institutions, extractive companies, civil society organisations and development partners to ensure that all disclosures required under the 2023 EITI Standard are completed and made publicly accessible.

“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,” he said.

Adar further described the validation as an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s sustained reforms in extractive sector governance, urging civil society organisations and the media to actively monitor audit recommendations, review institutional disclosures and contribute meaningfully to the validation process.

He encouraged stakeholders to take ownership of Nigeria’s validation process and project the country’s progress in implementing global transparency standards.

Earlier, Chair of the Communications and Civil Society Steering Committee and civil society representative on the NEITI Board, Dr. Erisa Danladi, explained that the consultative meeting was convened to validate stakeholder inputs into the EITI templates required for the assessment.

Also speaking, NEITI’s Director of Communications and Stakeholders Management, Dr. Obiageli Onuorah, expressed confidence in Nigeria’s preparedness, noting that recent reforms had strengthened the country’s position ahead of the exercise.

She highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NEITI and the National Human Rights Commission to safeguard civic space, describing the initiative as an innovative step that has received commendation from the global EITI community.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Center for Transparency, Ms. Faith Nwadishi, urged civil society organisations to treat the validation templates as practical tools for accountability rather than mere documentation.

“These documents must be used to hold covered entities to account,” she said.