Watchdog Groups Lodge Complaint Over Alleged Financial Misconduct In NEITI

Abuja, Nigeria– A coalition named Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) has written to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, lodging a complaint over alleged abuse of financial rules and regulations within the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The group, in a letter signed by its national Coordinator, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye and Program Officer, Adebayo Titus, addressed to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on March 14, 2024, called for an Independent Probe of Operations of NEITI Secretariat, under the Current Executive Secretary, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji.

In a copy of the letter made available to Afrika Eyes in Ilorin, on Saturday, the group said, “The 2023 EITI Validation exercise brought Nigeria’s success story as the leading country in the 2019 validation to a position of struggling to survive.

“Looking forward to the 2026 Re-evaluation of Nigeria in the EITI implementation, the country is on the edge of precipice, to either suspension or outright expulsion if nothing urgent is done to remediate the key issues raised in the Global EITI VALIDATION REPORT

“Sequel to this, we write to call on the SGF to urgently institute an independent and comprehensive probe of the operations of the Secretariat of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) under the current Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji.

“It has become imperative to make this important call in view of the specific recommendation of recent validation report on Nigeria by the global Extractive industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) which requires: “government to ensure consistent oversight of the NEITI Secretariat, including its financial management and recruitment practices”.

“Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Nigeria is concerned that those practices within NEITI Secretariat that led to this recommendation by the global EITI are still allegedly persisting.

Speaking further, PWYP added: The specific allegations are: abuse of financial rules and regulations; disregards for procurement process; internal audit control; spending capital fund on overhead activities and vice versa; secret recruitment, among others.

“We hereby urge the SGF to conduct a comprehensive probe of these allegations. This is because as a watchdog in the extractive industries, NEITI is expected to be above board and a leading light on issues of transparency and public accountability.

“Sir, while we look forward to your urgent actions on this call, please accept our highest regards and best wishes.”