Onyebuchi Ezigbo
22 November 2008
Abuja — Federal Government has agreed to work with three donor countries, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom to implement measures that would give rise to the enthronement of transparency and accountability in the management of revenues accruing to the Niger Delta states.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the formal presentation of a report on the mapping of political commitment to transparency by the states in Niger Delta produced by a civil society organisation, African Network for Enviro-nment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) in Abuja, the Chairman of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Trans-parency Initiative, Prof. Assisi Asobie said the body is willing to partner with the countries and ANEEJ to ensure that the principles of transparency are entrenched among the lower arms of governance at the state and local government levels.
Asobie, who welcomed the decision of the donor countries to sponsor the civil society initiative aimed at strengthening oil and gas revenue management in the Niger Delta states, said NEITI would back the effort to get all states and local governments in the country to establish transparency mechanism as a means of fast-tracking national development.
"NEITI is happy to be associated with the project. It is in line with the new paradigm shift in the fight against corruption which is identifying the people that is most prone to corruption and trying to get them imbibe the tenets of transparency," he said.
The NEITI chairman explained that the report revealed that most state governments in the Niger Delta are yet to acquire the culture of openness, reporting, disclosure and accountability, even though some are quite desirous to move in the direction.
Norwagian ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Tore Nedrebu said the country is supporting the mapping project which will be conducted over a three year period in the Niger Delta states to promote more openness in governance, transparency and accountability in the management of oil and gas revenues.
He said the project is in line with his country's bilateral commitement with Nigeria to try a contribute to capacity-building in the production and management oil and gas resources .
A representative of the UK ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Tom Adams said Britain is committed to offering assistance to the country to ensure the enthronement of greater transparency in the administration of oil and gas industry , especially as regards to proper use of the revenue allocation to Niger Delta states.
The Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor said the report on the mapping of the transparency clearly indicates the need for intervention efforts to strengthen capacities of states and local governments as well as the citizen 's ability to monitor budgeting and development activities in their domain.
The Secretary of the Presidential Technical Committee on Niger Delta, Ms. Nkoyo Toyo said the transparency campaign cannot be complete unless the perpetrators of illegal oil bunkering and those who benefit from the blood oil are traced and brought to book.
She urged the international community to assist Nigeria in tracing the movement of oil illegally taken out of the country.
The report on transparency in the Niger Delta states, all the states with the exception of Bayelsa which has it said has made some strides in opening up its expenditure activities; others have either exhibited weak capacities or out-right naivety in the practice of transparency principles.
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