The newly appointed Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Honourable Musa Adar, has officially resumed duty at the NEITI House.
In his maiden address to management and staff, he pledged to leverage his extensive legislative and oversight experience to strengthen NEITI’s visibility, institutional relevance, and impact.
Adar emphasised that NEITI’s mandate must be better understood across the country, noting that the organisation has built a reputation as a beacon of openness in Nigeria’s extractive industries.
He highlighted that NEITI’s reports have shaped policies, influenced reforms, and strengthened public trust, but stressed that the journey ahead demands greater effort, particularly with Nigeria’s upcoming validation as a member of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) scheduled for July 2026.
A key priority outlined by the new Executive Secretary was the amendment of the NEITI Act 2007.
He explained that the current Act did not provide NEITI with the institutional authority and capacity required to function optimally.
Adah stressed that a review of the Act was essential to empower NEITI with stronger legal tools to enforce compliance, deepen reforms, and drive transparency and accountability across the extractive sector.
He recalled his long-standing engagement with NEITI during his 16 years in the National Assembly, including his role as Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, which oversaw NEITI.
He affirmed his commitment to ensuring that NEITI continues to publish accurate, credible, and accessible reports, while strengthening mechanisms to prevent extractive revenues from being lost to inefficiency or corruption.
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According to him, a key priority is to develop clear strategies that will support the government to optimise Nigeria’s vast mineral endowments through beneficiation processes, thereby ensuring greater value addition and sustainable economic growth.
He further pledged to invest in staff capacity and foster stronger collaboration with government, civil society, the media, industry stakeholders, the global EITI, and development partners.
“NEITI staff are the heart of this great agency. I will invest in your growth, provide the tools you need, and create the enabling environment where excellence thrives,” Hon. Adar affirmed.
Until his appointment, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).