The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has pledged to work closely with the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation to promote integrity in data collation, validation and management on revenues from extractive industries.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio, gave the assurance in Abuja while receiving the Auditor General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Ayine, on a courtesy visit to seek collaboration and partnership with the agency.
NEITI, in a statement by its spokesman, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said Mr. Adio identified poor linkages among relevant agencies as major constraints in national planning, natural resource governance and public finance management.
He said: “Our doors are quite open. NEITI is ready and willing to work with sister agencies on information and data sharing, capacity and manpower development.
“We are also ready to collaborate and partner with the Office of the Auditor General in particular and other similar agencies in general to promote data integrity, openness, standards and uniformity in data collation, validation management and utilization.”
Adio said “It is not just enough to be transparent; it is about being comprehensively transparent to ensure that the information is understood. On anything that will bring about transparency in the management of revenues, we will give you all the support.
“We are working for the same purpose; we have to leverage on the strengths of the different agencies. We have done this for 15 years and we have the information that will guide you in the extractive industry.”
In his response, Mr Ayine called for closer cooperation in data management and knowledge sharing in the efficient implementation of a World Bank funded programme on fiscal governance.
“It is very important and necessary that within us as institutions of the Federal Government, we create a structure whereby we collaborate and do our internal reconciliation of these figures for the integrity of our national data statistics,” Mr. Ayine stated.
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