Nigeria eyes 100% EITI validation score in 2026

Nigeria is poised to achieve a perfect score in the 2026 validation of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), according to Musa Sarkin Adar, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

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We are ready for them. Nigerians are very resilient people and very brilliant people. We are not afraid of their coming, and I assure you this time around, we must get that 100 per cent, and we will get it.

Adar expressed strong confidence during an engagement with civil society organizations and the media in Abuja, stating, “We are ready for them. Nigerians are very resilient people and very brilliant people. We are not afraid of their coming, and I assure you this time around, we must get that 100 per cent, and we will get it.” He emphasized President Bola Tinubu's administration's commitment to EITI standards and maintaining Nigeria's membership.

NEITI has been actively addressing outstanding corrective actions through bilateral meetings with major entities like the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Adar also met with the EITI International Secretariat and Nigeria’s validation team to assess readiness.

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If Nigeria loses this process, the investors, especially foreign investors in the oil and gas and mining sectors, may not wish to come and invest in Nigeria.

Adar warned that failing the validation process could deter foreign investors. "If Nigeria loses this process, the investors, especially foreign investors in the oil and gas and mining sectors, may not wish to come and invest in Nigeria," he stated, highlighting EITI compliance as a critical benchmark for investors seeking transparency in resource-rich nations. Dr. Erisa Danladi, a CSO representative on the NEITI board, noted that the validation process allows civic actors to assess achievements, identify gaps, and strengthen transparency and governance in Nigeria's extractive sector.

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enables civic actors to take stock of collective achievements, identify existing gaps, and explore practical ways of strengthening transparency, accountability and good governance within Nigeria’s extractive sector.