Nigeria Calls on Resource-Rich Nations to Leverage EITI for Governance Reform

Amman, Jordan – Nigeria has urged resource-rich countries to expand the role of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) from a data disclosure tool into a catalyst for economic reform, institutional accountability, and inclusive development.

The call was made by Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), while addressing an international EITI peer-learning session in Amman, Jordan. The forum, supported by the World Bank, brought together governments and stakeholders to exchange experiences on natural resource governance.

Dr. Orji outlined how Nigeria has localized and strengthened the EITI framework, transforming it into a driver of reform in the country’s extractive sector.

“NEITI’s experience has shown that the EITI can deliver far more than public disclosure. It is a platform for institutional reform, citizens’ dialogue, accountability advocacy, and process re-engineering,” he said.

Nigeria’s Model of Reform

According to Dr. Orji, Nigeria’s implementation of the EITI has introduced innovations that could serve as models for other resource-rich nations. These include:

• NEITI Act (2007): granting statutory independence and shielding reforms from political interference.

• High-level multi-stakeholder group: chaired by a senior government official, ensuring national policy relevance.

• Independent technical secretariat: producing widely respected audits and reform briefs.

• Inter-agency task team: involving 21 oversight and anti-corruption agencies to connect disclosures to enforcement.

• Simplified policy briefs: translating complex audit findings into actionable insights for decision-makers.

• Digital transparency tools: including a Beneficial Ownership Register and the forthcoming NEITI Data Center.

Impact on Governance

EITI-driven reforms in Nigeria have shaped significant fiscal and governance outcomes:

• Supported the rollout of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

• Informed the debate and decision on fuel subsidy removal.

• Strengthened public discourse on revenue distribution and debt sustainability.

• Enhanced climate accountability by integrating emissions reporting, stranded asset assessments, and energy transition planning.

These efforts have also uncovered more than $6 billion in unpaid liabilities by companies, facilitated revenue recoveries, and deepened civic engagement in the governance of natural resources.

Sharing Lessons, Building Partnerships

Dr. Orji emphasized the importance of peer learning, pledging Nigeria’s support to countries such as Iraq, which is at the early stages of EITI implementation. He also noted Nigeria’s willingness to learn from regional counterparts to strengthen its reform agenda.

He urged fellow resource-rich nations to move beyond a “box-ticking” approach to transparency, stressing that natural wealth must be transformed into sustainable foundations for equity, growth, and institutional resilience.

Nigeria joined the EITI in 2003 and began full implementation in 2004. Today, its localized and impact-driven model continues to attract international recognition as a benchmark for extractive sector transparency.