Group wants NNPC to champion contract transparency in extractive industry

The Contract Transparency Network (CONTRANET) a civil society network, has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to champion the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive value chain in line with Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standards. The group disclosed this in a communique on Monday, signed by all members and issued at the end of its virtual meeting on advocacy strategy for the adoption and implementation of contract transparency in the extractive industry in the country. CONTRANET is a civil society network drawn from the media, rights groups, and community based organisations focused on deepening transparency and accountability across the value chain of the sector by making contracts open for citizens’ engagement.

The members are, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Publish What You Pay Nigeria, Order Paper Advocacy Initiative, Policy Alert, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Global Rights, Koyenum Immallah Foundation, African Network Environment and Economic Justice and Sustainable Environment and Peace Initiative. Others include Community Outreach For Development and Welfare Advocacy, Institutional and Sustainable Development Foundation, Initiative for Participation Accountability and Inclusive Development, Association of Niger Delta Host Community Leaders, Global Awareness for Development Initiative and Coolfm/Wazobiafm. Also, there are Youth Forum on EITI, Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights, Women in Extractive, Responsible Citizenship and Human Development Initiative, and Save a Soul Foundation Zamfara.

“We commended NNPC for signing on to EITI as a supporting company and called on them to champion the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive value chain according to EITI standards. This will complement the success recorded by the launch of an online register of beneficial owners of mining assets and ensure that Nigeria retains the satisfactory progress status achieved in 2019 as the first Anglophone country to do so,” they said. The network said that the Federal Government should commence multi-stakeholder consultations on how to proceed with the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive sector in accordance with all her international commitments. It added that the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development , the NNPC and Mining Cadastre Office should collaborate with the NEITI and other stakeholders, to develop and adopt a framework for the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive sector in Nigeria.

“Civil society organisations should engage the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice through the Open Government Partnership Secretariat to commence the review of the necessary legislative and policy frameworks that will make the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive sector a reality in Nigeria,” the members said. Participants at the meeting agreed to continue to advocate for good standards in the extractive value chain and collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that a framework for the implementation of contract transparency in the extractive sector in Nigeria was developed, adopted and implemented.(NAN)