July 22, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has inaugurated the governing board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Performing the inauguration on Thursday in Abuja, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, congratulated the members.
He said their appointment as NEITI board members was based on individual merits and track records.
The SGF said: “Your appointment and inauguration, which is taking place here today, is another practical demonstration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of our economic resources, and especially, given the mandate and objectives of the Nigeria’s NEITI.”
Mustapha said that the present administration was passionate about the NEITI process because it served two key agenda of the administration.
He said that the extractive industry was very strategic to Nigeria’s economy, hence, central to the administration’s economic agenda.
According to Mustapha, the transparency and accountability in the management of the nation’s resources were equally central to the anti-corruption agenda of Nigeria.
He said the government was, therefore, irrevocably committed to the implementation of NEITI in the oil, gas, and mining industries.
Mustapha tasked the board members to ensure that the agency continued to preserve the virtues for the benefit of the present and for future generations of Nigeria.
He said: “In order to achieve this, I must remind you that your assignment is non-partisan because NEITT itself is non-political and has maintained dignified neutrality all through almost two decades of existence.
“It is also necessary for me to stress that your appointment is a part-time one. You are therefore advised to conduct yourselves in accordance with this requirement.”
Responding, a retired Permanent Secretary, office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, thanked the President for considering them worthy for the appointment.
Adekunle assured that the board would not disappoint the President in the course of carrying out its assigned duties.
The retired Permanent Secretary said his appointment alongside other board members was another opportunity to serve Nigeria in another capacity.
He said: “Let me also congratulate my colleagues on the board for this wonderful opportunity to serve our nation in a different capacity.
“I must say that the confidence reposed in us is huge but our commitment to this assignment is also strong; we shall therefore, work as a team with focus and with integrity.”
Members of the board are Bashir Bature Gafai (North-West), Iliya Gashinbaki (North-East), Godwin Akor Ogwuche (North-Central), Nze Joe Ibeh (South-East), Awowo Christian (South-South) and Damilola Olawuyi (South-West).
Other members of the 15-member NEITI board include the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development; Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The board also has a representative of the international oil companies (IOCs).
The civil society organisations are represented by Peter Egbule while the Presidents of Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) are representing extractive industries professional unions on the Board.
This is the fifth governing board to be appointed for NEITI.
By the NEITI Act 2007, the Chairman and members have four-year tenures on a part-time basis, while the Executive Secretary has a five-year tenure and is on a full-time appointment.
