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NEITI restates commitment to sharing information, data

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has committed itself to information and data sharing. It described as fictitious, incorrect, false and frivolous the allegations that the agency concealed information and data in its report.

This is coming after the attention of the agency was drawn to media reports credited to a private company-ABZ Integrated Limited alleging that NEITI concealed some information in its 2021 oil and gas industry report.

The unfounded allegations arose from deliberations of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions where ABZ Integrated Ltd is also asking the National Assembly to compel the Federal Government to pay it five per cent "whistleblowers fee" as reward from recoveries that may arise from the spurious allegation.

According to the statement: "NEITI hereby restates that the openness requirements of the stakeholders driven process of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) which NEITI is implementing in Nigeria does not provide any room for any concealment of information.  It is equally important to state that the NEITI process is not designed for any individual or group to seek financial reward or derive selfish benefits."

NEITI explained that "We have already made comprehensive presentation that clearly addressed all the issues that were raised in the uninformed petition. The reason for our detailed response was to avoid any individual or group under any guise, misleading the House Committee, the National Assembly and the general public. NEITI in its response, clarified all the issues and prayed the House of Representatives to dismiss the petition as it affects the Agency because it is frivolous and has no merit.“

For instance, on the issue of Cash Call Payments which the petitioner alleged were concealed, NEITI referred the petitioner to pages 104-107 of the NEITI 2021 oil and gas industry report already in the public domain and on its where detailed information and data on cash call payments and general management including recommendations were publicly declared in facts and figures.

Similar disclosures were also common features in NEITI previous reports of the sector over the years.

NEITI added that going through the petition from ABZ which a copy was forwarded to the agency; it observed poor quality, understanding, huge gaps and misconceptions in the contents of the said petition about the NEITI process.  NEITI said that it is concerned and considers it a matter of urgency for the petitioner (ABZ Integrated Ltd), to be helped, educated and enlightened on the basic principles, methods, processes and standards that guide the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Reports, the multi-stakeholders’ framework involved and the responsibilities of government, companies and the civil society at every stage of the EITI/NEITI process.

NEITI also considers it a distraction coming at a time that data from NEITI’s report has been internationally acknowledged and endorsed to be credible by the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in its recently released report of Nigeria’s international assessment.

In the assessment, Nigeria recorded its highest score of 90 points on data integrity, comprehensiveness of report, outcomes and impacts, contribution to economic growth and adherence to legal frameworks, a pointer to the enormous and painstaking efforts undertaken in generating the information and data contained in NEITI’s industry reports.

It is also important to enlighten the petitioners that the tendency to seek financial entitlements from the NEITI process is a futile attempt at gold digging, likened to chasing the wind.

While NEITI welcomes criticisms of its processes, the agency advises that such criticisms needed to be informed, constructive, facts and evidence based capable of promoting quality public debates.

NEITI therefore offers the petitioner free education, enlightenment and capacity building on the NEITI/EITI process, its overall target of incentivizing reforms that enables natural resource revenues to support national development and poverty reduction in our society.