NEITI seeks data for effective monitoring of environmental impact
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Data is being collected by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (NEITI) that will help compel oil, gas, and mining firms to report the impact of their operations on the local environment in the Deep South and elsewhere.
NEITI board Chairman Adeyemi Adekunle said the operations of extractors of these and other natural resources have had devastating effects on the environment.
He made the point at a workshop on the development of frameworks for environmental impact and gender reporting in the extractive industries held in Abuja.
“In 2019,” he recounted, “resource extracting countries committed to disclose data and information on gender and the environment.
“This decision is recognition of the growing impact that the activities in the extractive industry continue to have on human communities and the natural environment.
“The decision also signposts the urgent need for global and country level action to facilitate gender inclusion and environmental accountability in the extractive sector.
“In 2020, Nigeria EITI [Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative] published the first data on gender participation and environmental practices in the industry.
“Beyond the audits, we have also carried out exploratory studies to understand the specific gender and environmental issues in the sector, and to generate insights about the scope of the impacts.
“Armed with the initial outputs of these studies and engagements, we are close to defining the parameters for disclosure on gender and the environmental impacts.
“The framework will aggregate the knowledge that we have generated in the last two years.”
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Collecting data for effective monitoring
NEITI Executive Secretary Orji Ogbonnaya Orji enthused the framework on reporting on issues of environment and gender would provide data that will help ensure companies operate in a responsible manner.
“While NEITI is mandated to implement EITI in Nigeria, we do not generate industry data. This is the responsibility of covered entities and relevant institutions. NEITI subsequently collects this data to publish in the annual audit reports,” he said, according to Vanguard reporting.
“With the implementation of data mainstreaming and systematic disclosure, the relevant institutions will begin to take on both responsibilities to generate and publish data in real time.
“This will add significant value to transparency and accountability by further increasing the timeliness and relevance of data.”
Former EITI board member Faith Nwadishi narrated how it was hard work bringing up reporting on the environment for discussion at the EITI.
With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 silent on gender reporting in the industry, she added, the NEITI framework would help in mainstreaming the issue to bridge the gap created in the PIA.
