Also, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria, a chapter of the Global Campaign on transparency and accountability in the extractives sector has also written to NEITI, demanding clarification on the alleged employment of 70 new workers without following due process.
A coalition of over 150 civil society organisations (CSOs) under the platform of Open Alliance Working on Transparency and Accountability and Promoting the Open Government Partnership in Nigeria, has sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (NEITI) to provide processes that led to the alleged recruitment of 70 new employees into the agency without due process.
Also, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria, a chapter of the Global Campaign on transparency and accountability in the extractives sector has also written to NEITI, demanding clarification on the alleged employment of 70 new workers without following due process.
SaharaReporters exclusively reported on November 1, 2022, how NEITI employed 70 new workers without advertising vacancies, by picking family members and cronies for the job.
It reported that the NEITI's Executive Secretary, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, carried out underground recruitment which is characteristic of the shady recruitment processes in several federal agencies and commissions in recent times.
NEITI is under the supervision of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Multiple sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that some of the basic requirements for employment were not followed in the recruitment.
According to the sources, most of those employed were children of friends and associates of Orji, while others were family members of top government officials, including children of heads of agencies.
One of the sources said, “The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative recently embarked on the recruitment of over 70 staff (members) without due process. There were no adverts, declaration of vacancies or observance of the Federal Government’s guidelines on recruitment,” a senior worker at the agency said.
“NEITI connived with some agencies of government to carry out the exercise. We pleaded with the Executive Secretary of NEITI Dr Orji to make the recruitment open and competitive because this is what transparency and accountability that the NEITI represents are all about. Dr Orji was reminded that EITI is supposed to be above board in its dealings to preserve the sanctity of the only agency of government that Nigerians look up to.
“Our appeal to Dr Orji fell on deaf ears. He went ahead to recruit over 70 staff (members), handpicked and selected from the children of friends and associates, some of them are living in his house, others are friends of his children.
“Members of the NEITI board also had their children and relations offered appointments. We are asking that you use your influence to demand a rescue of the Nigerian state, youths of the country and NEITI which have been bastardised and abused, insulted and humiliated.
“It’s time for Nigerians to demand an investigation into the recruitment exercise conducted by the NEITI, we ask what criteria were used to select; how were they selected? Who were the people recruited? What are their background and qualification? How did NEITI arrive at them? How can an organisation with less than 40 staff (members) go on to 120 staff (members)? What work will three times more labour do in an organisation that is currently seen to have the largest number of workers globally?
“Everything in Nigeria is always different. How many people work at the EITI and it is the parent body? Check all the countries under the EITI, what is the numerical staff strength? How can these new recruits abide by the rules of transparency and accountability for which NEITI is known when they know how they came in?
“We are already seeing a NEITI that will be corrupt and worse than the agencies and companies it is supposed to show an example in leadership. By the end of the tenure of this NEITI board, NEITI will be more corrupt and worse that the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Company). Who watches as watchdog?
“We want to put it on notice that other recruitment done by NEITI even for one position was advertised. This can be confirmed from the NEITI website. This is an organisation that Nigerians love, boast and follow.”
“The EITI advertises its vacancies. Why will NEITI not advertise its own? Should NEITI which holds others accountable for not following the rule of law, restore waivers of any kind in its operations?
“The new recruits are undergoing documentation and biometrics and will soon start drawing salaries from IPPIS. No wonder the former accountant general diverted so much money. Cases like these make workers in IPPIS go fat because they are motivated to do the unthinkable. We waited for NEITI to get to IPPIS so it will not deny.
“The Board approved the exercise because they will benefit from it. At the appropriate time, we will expose all of them. All previous Boards of NEITI have performed above board, holding to the principle of decency, transparency, accountability and utmost sense of decorum and candor.
“We have it on good notice that the former Board and executive secretary even cancelled the approval it got to recruit in the interest of the nation citing lack of revenues, but the present board threw caution to the wind and displayed unbridled greed and corruption.
“NEITI today is far from these principles. Rather it is teaching other agencies how to evade rules and procedures. Even the NNPC advertises its vacancies,” a source said.
However, The Open Alliance, in a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request on NEITI's Recruitment Process, addressed to the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, has demanded that the agency provided details showing that the recruitment followed the laid down process and procedures.
In the FOI request dated November 8, 2022, the coalition is demanding "signed minutes of the meeting of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) establishing that some positions are vacant or that NEITI needed to expand the number of staff.
"A signed declaration from the NSWG recommending a recruitment exercise for the vacant positions. Copy of the newspaper advert for the vacant positions. An electronic or website link for the recruitment advert. The selection criteria for the candidates. Review of recruitment report conducted and the names and positions of the newly employed staff."
The group reminded the Executive Secretary of NEITI that under FOI Act, their request should be complied with and replied to within seven working days from the date of receipt of the request.
"It is our hope that NEITI will comply with the provisions of the Act by providing adequate information to the request above. We would appreciate it if the information is made available to us promptly but in any event, not later than 7 days from the date of receipt of this request, as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2011."
Meanwhile, Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Nigeria, in a letter Executive Secretary of NEITI, dated November 4, 2022, and signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, has also sought clarifications on the recruitment allegations without due process.
According to PWYP, the clarifications became necessary to ensure that Nigeria maintains the EITI Standards especially now that "we're preparing for validation early next year."
The group said, "The clarification is also germane due to the critical period in our nation's history, that requires all and sundry to work together to resolve the multifaceted crisis in the oil and gas sector, ranging from oil theft and huge revenue losses. These anomalies as you are aware have widened inequality, brought abject poverty to the citizenry, and low quality of life in Nigeria.”
"While we remain committed to working together to strengthen the EITI process in Nigeria; and promote transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria's oil, gas and mining revenues, we must in our different spheres observe due diligence in the discharge of our duties, which makes the clarification we seek imperative," the letter partly read.