The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to expand their advocacy beyond transparency to include resource governance, social justice, fiscal sustainability, environmental accountability, and democratic freedom.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, made the call in a congratulatory message to the Resource Justice Network (RJN) on its transition from Publish What You Pay (PWYP). He described the move as a bold reform that strengthens CSOs’ role in advancing justice, equity, and sustainability in natural resource governance.
Orji, in a statement by Mrs. Obiageli Onuorah, NEITI’s Director of Communications and Stakeholder Management, urged RJN to galvanise Nigerian CSOs into a united front for resource justice, defending communities, challenging corruption, and ensuring natural resources translate into shared prosperity.
He noted that the transition aligns with the broader Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) agenda, which now covers beneficial ownership transparency, contract disclosure, open data, domestic resource mobilisation, climate change, gender equity, and energy transition.
“NEITI applauds RJN for the courage and vision to embark on an internal reform that positions civil society at the center of global struggles for natural resource justice, energy transition, and human development. This transition is more than a change of name; it represents a renewed vision and strategy,” Orji said.
He stressed that RJN’s emergence expands the legacy of PWYP, broadening advocacy to civil liberties, climate accountability, poverty reduction, and human rights. He also urged the network to uphold high ethical standards, integrity, and accountability to sustain its credibility.
