The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has called on civil society organisations (CSOs) to take a central role in monitoring government and corporate commitments on energy transition.
Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, made the appeal in Abuja during a visit to the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), led by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani.
Orji said the global shift to clean energy and the financial pressures it brings require civil society to move beyond routine advocacy to evidence-based, solution-driven engagement.
“This new agenda calls for civil society to lead in energy transition accountability by developing scorecards that track government and company commitments, and by shaping community transition plans so that no one is left behind,” he said.
He urged CSOs to analyse contract and ownership disclosures, participate in debates on subsidy reforms and debt sustainability, and propose policy alternatives that promote equitable development.
According to him, civil society must evolve under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) framework from watchdogs to “knowledge leaders and reform architects” in areas such as climate accountability, illicit financial flows, and fiscal justice.
Highlighting NEITI’s role, Orji pointed to collaborations with the EFCC, ICPC, and NFIU, as well as plans to establish a Data Center that will provide real-time information on revenues, contracts, host community funds, and energy transition activities.
He also challenged CISLAC to strengthen its advocacy by moving from bulletins to peer-reviewed publications that could position Nigerian CSOs in global extractive governance debates.
In response, Rafsanjani commended NEITI for opening the extractive sector to public scrutiny, noting that its interventions have provided vital data, exposed gaps, and informed reforms that saved the country billions of naira.
“NEITI remains one of the most strategic institutions driving transparency, accountability, and reform in Nigeria’s extractive sector,” Rafsanjani said.
