Date Published: 03/07/11

CISLAC congratulates Nigeria on its validation as an EITI-Complaint Nation

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre congratulates Nigerians on its recent validation as an EITI compliant nation.  This development which was annexed during the EITI conference in Paris on March 2-3, 2011 brings to an end an eight-year wait for watchers of the evolution Extractive Industries Transparency struggle in Nigeria.

CISLAC has viewed with concern and has lamented that even though Nigeria was the first to domesticate the EITI principle in Africa, she had repeatedly failed to attain compliance status since 2004.

We therefore congratulate all the stakeholders who have made this development possible.  This include the NEITI secretariat, the concerned agencies, National Assembly committees, the media and especially the Nigerian people represented by the numerous CSOs who advocated unrelentingly for the concerned actors to put in place all the necessary requirement for attaining this status.

CISLAC however wishes to remind all that the compliant status is not an end in itself.  Now must commence the deepening and strengthening of the NEITI process in Nigeria.  This must be displayed by strict implementation of the NEITI Act, immediate implementation of remediation on gaps observed from previous audit reports, the domestication of the process and the increased monitoring of vibrant civil society engagement in the process.

We call on civil society not to rest on its effort until the NEITI process not only complies with international best practices but is implemented until it translates into improved standards of living and sustainable livelihoods for our teaming population.

We call on the National Assembly step up its oversight role to ensure strict compliance to the NEITI Act by all concerned stakeholders.  They should also expedite the passage of ancillary legislation like the PIB to strengthen the fight to reverse the Resource course and make our resources work for us.

We call on all stakeholders, including the media to keep the struggle for extractive Industry transparency and accountability and indeed the fight against corruption in the front burner of the agenda and issues going forward towards the elections.

Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)

Executive Director

CISLAC