By Michael Eboh

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio, has said the agency will do all within its power to promote transparency and accountability in the extractive industry being the staying power of the Nigerian economy.

Adio, accompanied by two of his directors, made the declaration when he visited the Abuja Office of Vanguard Media Limited on a courtesy call as part of his familiarization tour of media houses in the country.

And to achieve the aim, the NEITI boss has promised to work closely with the media and other stakeholders in the sector in promoting probity in the industry.

Adio, who was received at the Vanguard Office by the Northern Region Editor, Mr. Soni Daniel, made it clear that the agency would make all the players in the industry to adopt best practices in the discharge of their duties.

The Executive Secretary said: “Our work and the work of the media also converge and it best exists to hold government to account on behalf of its citizens. Our own mandate is to promote transparency and accountability in the sector that is the mainstay of our economy and we believe we should strengthen our working relationship, not just because of that convergence, but also for our country.

Receiving the officials of NEITI, Mr. Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North, of Vanguard Newspaper, commended Adio and his team for the confidence reposed on the media, promising to partner with NEITI in ensuring transparency and accountability in the extractive industry.

He lamented the secrecy associated with governance, while he called on NEITI to ensure openness and accessibility in all their activities.

“Our work will not be complete if you do not increase the kind of support that you give to us; because citizens need to understand this information, they need to know how to use it, they need to use it. Until that happens, the change that we want will not happen.

“There is a lot we can do on our own, but there is so much more you can help us do. And we continue to count on you to continue to support us in different ways. We want to increase our engagement with the media and use that to increase our engagement with citizens, because at the end of the day, it is about the welfare of Nigerians.

“If we can use this information and work together to empower citizens to be part of an informed discussion and debate that would change the course of our history that would be a great thing indeed.”