Rt Hon. Ikeagwonu Ugochinyere (Ikenga Imo), the Committee Chairman on Downstream Petroleum in the House of Representatives has said that his committee will propose legislation that will give powers to the Nigerian Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to prosecute infractions in the extractives sector in Nigeria, these include oil gas and mining sectors.
He said this when the House Committee on Petroleum Downstream paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary at the NEITI House in Abuja on Tuesday, August 29.
He said:
- “Our committee is ready to propose legislation that will give NEITI stronger powers for prosecution of infractions in the extractive sector. If Committees of the National Assembly in the past had given more attention to the findings and recommendations of the NEITI industry reports, there couldn’t have been a need for some public hearings and investigations.
Hon. Ugochinyere also commended NEITI for the exceptional work it has done over the years in leading on issues of transparency and accountability in the Nigeria extractive sector. He promised to push for the amendment of the NEITI Act to reflect current realities in the sector.
Going further, he explained that the realization of the Economic Agenda of President Tinubu in the proposed revenue generation depends on transparency and accountability in the extractive sectors. He urged NEITI to collaborate with the National Assembly through the provision of information and data that will help members in their work while appealing to NEITI to see the committee as partners in the project of transparency.
During the courtesy visit, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji stated that NEITI is available to provide information and data that will be required by the Downstream Petroleum committee in carrying out its oversight functions. He noted that the National Assembly and Civil Society Organizations are critical allies of NEITI.
He said:
- “The NEITI Reports are comprehensive and contain incisive information and data which are supposed to be debated at plenary to get the necessary attention of policymakers. At NEITI, our duty is to provide information and data, the duty of the civil society and the National Assembly is to use the information and data to hold both government and companies to account.”
Dr. Orji also urged the Committee to lend its voice to the call by NEITI on the Government to reconstitute the Petroleum Industry Act Implementation Committee (PISTEERCO) so that they can finalize its work on the implementation of the Act.
