NEITI boss pushes urgent overhaul of 2007 Transparency Act

Newly appointed Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, expressed commitment to drive a comprehensive amendment of the NEITI Act 2007, describing the law as outdated and inadequate for today’s governance and compliance demands.

Addressing management and staff members at the agency’s Abuja headquarters, Adar, who resumed office on Tuesday, said the 17-year-old law no longer provided NEITI with sufficient institutional authority to enforce compliance or fully execute its mandate of deepening transparency and accountability across Nigeria’s extractive industries.

Updating the legislation, he stressed, would be the centrepiece of his reform agenda.

According to him, strengthening the Act would equip NEITI with modern legal tools needed to expand reforms, curb leakages, reinforce governance, and position the country for a successful Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) validation slated for July 2026.

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“To strengthen transparency, enforce compliance, and secure better outcomes for the country, the legislation must be updated,” he said.

Adar noted that NEITI’s audits and reports had shaped national policy and strengthened public trust, but insisted that the organisation must enhance its visibility, relevance, and enforcement capacity.

Drawing from his 16-year legislative experience and past work as Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, he pledged to ensure continued publication of credible industry reports and stronger mechanisms to plug revenue leakages.

He also highlighted plans to promote beneficiation and value addition across Nigeria’s mineral resources to support long-term economic growth.