On Friday, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) intensified efforts to promote transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil, gas and mining sectors by reinforcing its collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The renewed partnership was contained  in a statement issued by the NEITI’s Director of Communications and Stakeholder Management, Mrs Obiageli Onuorah, following courtesy visits by NEITI officials to the headquarters of both anti-graft agencies.

During the engagements, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Mr Musa Sarkin Adar, emphasised the need for stronger inter-agency cooperation to ensure that transparency disclosures translate into enforcement actions, remediation of audit findings and the plugging of revenue leakages within the extractive industries.

The statemen partly read, “The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to accountability in Nigeria’s oil, gas, and mining sectors by strengthening its partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.”

Adar explained that since assuming office, NEITI has prioritised strategic engagement with institutions whose mandates align with its core objective of promoting transparency and accountability.

He described the EFCC and ICPC as critical partners in converting audit reports into tangible outcomes.

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“This partnership is not just about disclosure. It is about accountability, corrective actions, and measurable impact. As Nigeria prepares for the 2026 EITI Validation, our collective responsibility is to demonstrate that transparency leads to real change,” he said.

He further noted that Nigeria’s forthcoming validation under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative would assess compliance with the 2023 EITI Standard across three pillars—Transparency, Stakeholder Engagement, and Outcomes and Impact—adding that the exercise represents a national assessment of Nigeria’s commitment to accountable management of natural resources.

Adar formally requested continued cooperation from both agencies under existing Memoranda of Understanding, calling for deeper intelligence sharing, technical collaboration and coordinated follow-up on cases arising from NEITI’s audit reports.

Responding, EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, described NEITI’s audit reports as “indispensable raw materials” for investigating financial crimes in the extractive sector.

He disclosed that the Commission had established a dedicated Extractive Industry and Fraud Section and pledged to strengthen its MoU with NEITI to improve coordination and effectiveness.

Similarly, ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), described NEITI as a “critical vanguard” in Nigeria’s fight against systemic corruption, particularly in the management of extractive resources. He revealed that the Commission has operationalised a Special Extractive Industry Desk to act specifically on findings from NEITI’s audit reports.

“By combining NEITI’s forensic data with ICPC’s investigative and prosecutorial powers, we have moved beyond reporting infractions to rectifying them,” Aliyu said.

He assured NEITI of the Commission’s sustained partnership, stressing that Nigeria’s vast natural wealth must translate into concrete development outcomes and that public expectations for accountability remain high.

Nigeria’s extractive sector, largely driven by oil and gas, remains central to government revenue and foreign exchange earnings but has historically been affected by opacity, revenue losses and weak enforcement of audit outcomes.

NEITI, Nigeria’s implementing agency of the global EITI framework, regularly publishes audit reports exposing unremitted revenues, operational inefficiencies and governance gaps across the sector. However, converting these findings into sanctions, recoveries, and reforms has remained a challenge.

The strengthened collaboration among NEITI, EFCC and ICPC signals a coordinated effort to close this enforcement gap, particularly as Nigeria prepares for the 2026 EITI Validation.

The meetings, attended by senior officials of the three agencies, form part of NEITI’s ongoing stakeholder engagements aimed at improving governance and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive industries.