The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has directed the newly appointed indigenous firms, Sada Idris and Co., and Haruna Yahaya and Co., to carry out the assignments of conducting the oil sector and solid minerals sector audits with professionalism.
Giving the charge in Abuja at a meeting with the firms, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, stressed that it was important for them to make a “bold statement that Nigeria has enough local capacity to accomplish national challenges no matter how difficult, if given the opportunity and enabling environment.”
While directing them to apply honesty, courage, competence and integrity in doing the job, she explained that since the approval of the appointment by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the NEITI secretariat has been inundated with public enquiry on the profile of the two firms, their experience, integrity, competence and capacity to carry out the assignment given its sensitive nature.
She told the auditors to understand that NEITI industry audits carried both national and international responsibilities which must be accomplished with every diligence and integrity, adding that the only way to measure if the job was achieved was the quality and independence of the findings and recommendations.
She noted that neighbouring countries in the EITI such as Ghana had used local firms in their countries which? were not only courageous, but combined professionalism and integrity to do excellent jobs. “I believe strongly that Nigeria can do the same and our indigenous capacity is enormous if properly harnessed,” Ahmed said.
In their response, both teams assured NEITI that they would? put in all efforts to do a thorough job to? shame their critics. They explained that they owed it a duty to prove that Nigerian firms could do a better, professional and integrity -driven job if given the opportunity.