By Francis Wilfred
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) have agreed to strengthen collaboration to improve transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive industries.
The commitment was reached when NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Mr Musa Sarkin Adar, led his management team on a courtesy visit to the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, at the commission’s headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.
In a statement signed by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Dele Oyewale, Olukoyede described the extractive sector as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and urged NEITI to intensify oversight to ensure accountability.
He said EFCC’s partnership with NEITI had yielded positive results over the years, particularly through the use of NEITI reports in investigations and recoveries.
“Your reports are like raw materials for us. Over the years, we have relied on them to carry out investigations and make recoveries,” Olukoyede said. “I can assure you that during your tenure, our collaboration will be strengthened even further.”
He added that both agencies would review their existing Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation, noting that EFCC would provide stronger enforcement support to complement NEITI’s transparency mandate.
“We have an MoU with your organisation. We will review it and improve where necessary. Where NEITI lacks enforcement powers, EFCC will provide the needed support,” he said.
In his remarks, Adar, who was appointed in November 2025, said the visit was part of his strategy to engage critical stakeholders in line with NEITI’s mandate.
He said EFCC remained a key partner in NEITI’s efforts to promote transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector, adding that the meeting provided an opportunity to reaffirm their institutional relationship.
“I prioritise engagement with institutions whose mandates align closely with NEITI’s responsibilities. I have been briefed on the strong partnership between our agencies and the impact recorded so far,” Adar said.
He stressed the need to further strengthen collaboration to address systemic weaknesses in the governance of the extractive sector, especially as Nigeria prepares to host the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) body.
Both agencies reaffirmed their shared commitment to tackling fraud, improving governance standards and ensuring better performance in Nigeria’s extractive industries.
