Why dissolved NEITI board members must go – group

July 27, 2015 – A coalition of civil society groups have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore protest trailing recent dissolution of the board of Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI), stressing that members of the board were partisan, card carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and were compromised.

In the petition signed by 14 different organisations, the group noted that it is aware of pressure directed at making Buhari to reverse dissolution of the board.

The petition was signed by Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu for Partners for Electoral Reform /NEITI CSO Steering committee Member; Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani),Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); Idayat Hassan, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Jaye Gaskia ,Protest to Power; Zikirullahi Ibrahim, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) / Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED); Y Z. Ya’u,  Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD); Okeke Anya , State of the Union (SOTU);  Lukman Adefolahan, Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC); Olanrewaju Suraju, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC); Isaac Osuoka ,  Social Action; Samson Itodo, Say No Campaign; Chioma Kanu, Women in Nigeria,  Kolawole Banwo;  National Procurement Watch Platform (NPWP); Akinbode Oluwafemi, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Chinedu Bassey, Tax Justice Nigeria; Mohammed B Attah  Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative.

In the petition which copied our correspondent, the group pointed out that  based on  findings, they can state categorically that several members of the dissolved Board had long lost their credibility, independence, neutrality and therefore, the moral right to remain on the board of an institution meant to ensure transparency and accountability in the oil sector, which has become a cesspit of corruption.

“Our assertion is based upon the following revelations, which came to the fore after thorough investigations. Not less than three (3) members of the dissolved Board have displayed brazen partisanship, which runs contrary to the core values of a transparency driven institution like the NEITI. For references, the following can be confirmed by Your Excellency: Engr .Musa Nashumi: PDP Governorship Aspirant, Katsina State, Engr. Bassey Ekefre (Former Commissioner of Work) active participant PDP Presidential campaign team from Cross River State, Barr. Patrick Udonfang: PDP Director of Legal Services, Akwa Ibom, State, Ms. Abiola Ige: Active participant in the PDP Presidential campaign team in the South West.

“Indeed, all members of the Board representing each geo-political zone in the country were fully involved in partisan-politics during the just concluded 2015 general elections. This has without doubt, eroded the level of credibility expected of members of the NEITI Board.

Several members of the dissolved Board have compromised themselves and have lost integrity by engaging in activities that make them unfit to remain as Board members”, the group said.

According to them, the board initiated the idea of a NEITI Multi-Donor Fund and initiated correspondences to the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the NNPC, soliciting funds for the use of the Board. This weakened its ability to effectively play the role of keeping the companies in check”, the group said adding that there are clear indications that several members of the board benefitted financially from some of the companies through sponsorship to the annual Offshore Technology Conference in the USA.

“It is difficult for such a board to effectively protect national interest in relations with the oil companies. There are indications that the dissolved Board interfered with the procurement processes for the appointment of the NEITI Auditors thereby compromising their independence. This is a violation of the fundamental principles of the EITI globally and the Public Procurement Act 2007.

“ Indeed, Your Excellency, there are indications that the EITI recently observed gaps in the recent Solid Minerals Audit Report where the auditor questioned the validity of the data.  We are also investigating the role of the members of the dissolved Board especially the civil society representative, who should ordinarily serve as a whistle blower, concerning allegations trailing the 2012 oil and gas report.

“The findings already are quite revealing.  All of these, including allegations of conflicts of interests in the award of contracts by some members of the Board, all combine to completely discredit the Board and makes its dissolution timely and deserving of further investigation as its  status as an oversight body on transparency and accountability is completely lost. Little wonder, your Excellency, that the companies and the NNPC have little respect for our institutions and act with impunity.

“His Excellency and his Administration should resist any attempt by the so-called Board members affected by this dissolution to seek relevance through any means whatsoever”, the group said and called on Buhari to expedite action on constitution of the new NEITI board.