The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has reported that approximately 7.68 million barrels of crude oil were either stolen or lost in 2023.
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), made this disclosure during a Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Roundtable held in Abuja on Thursday.
Dr. Orji also noted that there was a substantial 79% decrease in crude oil theft in 2023 compared to the previous year.
He urged the gathered civil society representatives to concentrate on critical findings from the recently published NEITI 2022/2023 Oil and Gas Industry Reports.
He emphasized the role of CSOs in monitoring governmental strategies to combat oil theft and advocating for enhanced environmental protections.
“CSOs should monitor the government’s strategies to combat oil theft and advocate for more robust environmental protections.
“Civil societies have a crucial role in creating forums that include government, private sectors, and community groups,” he stated.
He emphasised the need for these entities to consider the concerns of impacted communities in national resource management policies.
Revenue management
Dr. Orji stressed the necessity for CSOs to advocate for improved revenue collection mechanisms to ensure that Nigeria maximizes its oil resource benefits.
He stated, “CSOs must push for improved revenue collection mechanisms to ensure full value of Nigeria’s oil resources benefits the nation.”
- The Executive Secretary highlighted the objective of the roundtable, stating that it aimed to ensure that transparency and accountability lead to meaningful policy changes and improvements in public welfare.
- He announced that NEITI would soon finalize a data centre to enhance access to extractive sector information, which will house all industry reports from 1999 onwards.
“This centre will facilitate public access to data and analysis, enhancing NEITI’s compliance with the EITI Open Data Protocol,” he said.
Dr. Orji called for active collaboration between CSOs and both urban and rural communities.
He emphasized that the future of Nigeria’s extractive industries depends on the active engagement of civil society.
“We stand at a critical juncture. Let us seize this opportunity to empower CSOs, urban and rural alike, to drive the change we seek.” He stated.
Dr. Erisa Sarki, a CSO representative on the NEITI Board, noted that the forum aimed to foster open dialogue and actionable steps.
“The forum was designed to encourage open dialogue, innovative thinking, and actionable steps,” he stated, aligning with NEITI’s vision of ensuring that Nigeria’s extractive resources benefit all citizens.