FG asks incoming govt to strengthen, reform anti-corruption agencies

Federal Government in Abuja, yesterday, urged the incoming administration to strengthen anti-corruption agencies and reform-minded institutions.

This was during launch of the Gender and Environmental Reporting Frameworks of the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said Nigeria’s government remains committed to sustaining implementation of global extractive industries, principles of transparency, citizen’s engagement, anti-corruption and accountability in management of the country’s oil, gas and solid mineral resources.

Commending the agency for being consistent and progressive in discharging its mandate, she urged the management to sustain innovations to remain relevant and impactful to the economy and citizens.

She said: “The Gender and Environmental Reporting Frameworks being launched today represent another important milestone recorded by NEITI. I am told the two sets of frameworks were developed to guide Nigeria’s reporting obligation to the global EITI in areas of gender and environment in the oil, gas and mining sectors.

“The development of these frameworks is commendable, not just for the purpose of meeting Nigeria’s obligation to the global EITI, but to help resolve lingering negative impact of oil, gas and mineral exploration in our host communities, as well as reduce widening gender disparity in extractive industries.

“I wish to call on the international EITI to always consider and respect the sovereignty, peculiarities, context, uniqueness and diversities of each member state in implementation of the global initiative, particularly during the validation exercise conducted by the international body every three years.”

Executive Secretary of NEITI, Ogbonna Orji, said the new reports would address issues of environmental degradation and gender abuse in the extractive sector in the country.

Orji said there was a need for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Nigeria to deliver impactful results and energise more reforms in the oil, gas and mining sectors.