President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that there would not be cover-up for any misdeed revealed in the reports of audit exercises by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). The Federal Government gave the assurance on Monday in Uyo while declaring open a five-day retreat for members of the National Stakeholders Working Group of the Board of NEITI.
The president, who was represented by Gov. Godswill Akpabio, said that Nigeria voluntarily signed up as a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to underscore the need to entrench good governance. He said that the Federal Government was poised to enthrone openness and transparency in the management of the nation’s oil, gas and solid mineral resources.
“We willingly initiated and submitted ourselves to public scrutiny through several fact-finding panels and objective criticisms. I have given necessary directives towards open and unrestricted support to NEITI to carry out its statutory functions. I see the regular conducts of NEITI audits and prompt implementations of its recommendations as the gateway to accelerate the much needed reforms in our oil and gas sector.
“NEITI findings will also generally impact on the conduct of government business,” Jonathan said. He said adherence to due process in the extractive sector would have positive impact on other sectors of the economy; reduce wastages, corruption and increase government’s revenue base. The president urged Nigerians and the international community to support NEITI to assist the country to pursue its reform programmes to a logical conclusion.
“I will strengthen the Inter-Ministerial Task Team (IMTT) by re-inaugurating it with very senior government officials. This, I believe, will ensure prompt implementation of the remedial issues arising from NEITI’s audit findings,” the president assured. In his keynote address, the Chairman, Board of NEITI, Mr Ledum Mitee, said that the retreat was aimed at finding out ways to enthrone transparency in the nation’s extractive industries.
He said the retreat’s theme: “From Transparency to Accountability“ was in-line with the objective of ensuring that Nigerians enjoyed benefits of their natural resources. Mitee said that NEITI had been able to raise the consciousness of Nigerians to ask critical questions on activities in the oil and gas sector. I appealed for more financial and political support from the government and our citizens to make us more vibrant and effective in the pursuit of our mandate,“ he said.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, disclosed that the body would soon publish the report of two audits it conducted between 2009 and 2011. Ahmed said the use of independent auditors by them and the release of funds to such effect was commendable. She called on government at the state level to collaborate with NEITI to reduce corruption, wastage, distrust and mismanagement in government.
