Civil society to monitor oil revenue in Nigeria
With the launching of the project tagged, "Publish What You Pay" campaign a civil society in Nigeria has began an
intense campaign for transparency by oil companies operating in the country over oil revenue declared or
recorded.
A coalition of civil society organisations across the country, gathered in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital to
launch the programme aimed at showing the extent to which revenues from the natural resources industries are used to
improve the lives of the citizenry.
The campaign also seeks to require all companies operating in Nigeria to publicly reveal the payments they make to
government for the extraction of natural resources, and for the government to be transparent about its revenues in
order to hold it accountable for their management.
The Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Campaign Nigeria is part of international movement calling for transparency in the
extractive industries in resource rich but poor countries in order to combat corruption, reduce poverty and
strengthen economic development.
The global campaign with about 190 NGOs and 50 NGOs in Nigeria as members, is expected to hold a national conference
in Abuja during which the Federal Government will announce its plan to implement the "Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative" (EITI).
Already, President Olusegun Obasanjo is said to be committed to implement the EITI which is an international process
involving many governments, companies, international organisations and the International Publish What You Pay
Coalition.
President of the African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor said the
coalition welcomed the commitment made by Obasanjo to implement the EITI and his endorsement of the Publish What You
Pay campaign.
Ugolor at a two day national workshop on Publish What You Pay/Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative said the
campaign has drawn significant attention at home and abroad to the need for the revenues from the oil and mineral
industries to serve as a blessing for the people of Nigeria rather than a curse.