The assessors gave the commendation at a debriefing session with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Senior Management Team at the end of their five-day in-country mission.
Mrs Obiageli Onuora, Director Communications and Stakeholders Management, NEITI in a statement on Sunday listed the Mission team to include Mr Riley Zecca (Mission Leader), Ms Jessica Sanchez and Mr Gilbert Makore, African Country Director, EITI.
Zecca commended the breadth and quality of stakeholders’ contributions during the validation exercise.
He urged Nigeria to sustain the momentum by institutionalising improved systematic disclosures to support real-time transparency, timely publication of accessible data and greater accountability.
The mission leader also applauded NEITI’s coordination of the validation consultations, noting that consistent systematic disclosures had improved access to information and enabled the mission to assess Nigeria’s progress with confidence.
He said the draft validation report would be shared with the NEITI Board within three weeks, after which Nigeria would have one month to respond.
According to him, the final validation report will be presented at the EITI Global Conference scheduled for October in Brussels.
EITI Africa Country Director, Mr Gilbert Makore, urged Nigeria to view the validation process positively, describing it as the backbone of EITI implementation.
Makore particularly commended the participation of the National Assembly, describing the engagement as unique and innovative.
He said the executive session with the National Assembly and public hearing on NEITI industry reports demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to open and inclusive dialogue.
“The executive session with the National Assembly and the public hearing on the NEITI industry reports demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to open, inclusive dialogue,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Malam Musa Adar, described the conclusion of the mission as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s validation journey.
Adar said the exercise went beyond a compliance check, providing an opportunity to assess achievements, address challenges and accelerate reforms in natural resource governance.
“The validation has provided a platform to showcase progress in implementing the EITI Standard and to engage constructively with stakeholders and the EITI International Secretariat,” he said.
He reaffirmed NEITI’s commitment to working with government institutions, companies, civil society and host communities to ensure that validation findings translated into sustained reforms.
The mission held engagements with Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the NEITI Board, Sen. George Akume; Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Doris Uzoka-Anite; and NNPC Ltd. GCE Officer, Bayo Ojulari.
The assessors also met relevant National Assembly committees led by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Sen. Ibrahim Dankwambo.
They further engaged anti-corruption and governance institutions, including the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, EFCC, ICPC, National Human Rights Commission and the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms.
Discussions with NNPC Ltd. focused on its role as an EITI supporting company, anti-corruption policies, systematic disclosures, contract transparency and commodity trading transparency.
Civil society consultations involved representatives of NEITI’s Civil Society Steering Committee, Civil Society Strategic Think Tank, Civil Society Selection Committee and other civil society organisations.
The consultations also included host community representatives from Rivers and Zamfara.
