NEITI Unveils Three-Pronged Agenda for Energy Transition and Climate Justice at NED 2025

Uyo, Nigeria – August 1, 2025 – The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has unveiled a comprehensive three-pronged framework to guide Nigeria’s energy transition and climate justice initiatives. The strategy, outlined at the opening session of the 4th National Extractive Dialogue (NED 2025) in Uyo, centers around data-driven decision-making, inclusive policymaking, and the implementation of strategic reforms.

Delivering his keynote address, NEITI Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, emphasized that Nigeria must look “beyond resource extraction and profit, towards a future anchored on justice, sustainability, inclusion, and shared prosperity.” He stressed the need to prioritize communities and vulnerable populations in extractive governance.

Dr. Orji’s proposed reforms include:

• Divestment and decommissioning protocols

• Legal safeguards for host communities

• Incentives for local beneficiation and mineral-driven industrialization

He also highlighted NEITI’s newly launched Data Center, which provides real-time, automated disclosures for Nigeria’s extractive sector. According to him, the digital infrastructure supports fiscal planning, emission tracking, and regulatory integration, while enhancing transparency in royalty flows from key minerals like gold (₦2.92 billion), lithium (₦398.19 million), and tin (₦540.7 million).

“There can be no justice without data. No reform without records. No future without facts,” Dr. Orji declared, urging governments at all levels to integrate NEITI’s data into planning, and calling on companies and civil society to deepen their accountability roles.

The dialogue also featured strong contributions from key stakeholders:

• Senator Ekong Sampson, Chair of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, warned against unregulated divestments and called for operationalization of Host Community Development Trusts.

• Hon. Gaza Gbefwi, Chair of the House Committee on Solid Minerals, advocated for a Critical Minerals Development Bill to position Nigeria at the forefront of the global clean energy value chain.

• NOSDRA DG, Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke, cautioned that divested assets may come with environmental liabilities and called for legacy pollution clean-ups.

• Ms. Lola Adelore of OPTS reaffirmed the private sector’s commitment to transparency and shared accountability in the energy transition.

Spaces for Change Executive Director, Mrs. Victoria Ohaeri-Ibezim, convener of NED 2025, urged the nation to “reimagine extractive governance” and avoid missteps of the past. “Nigeria cannot afford to stumble blindly into this new era—not again,” she said.

NED 2025 was convened by Spaces for Change in partnership with NEITI, NOSDRA, and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, with support from Found Foundation.