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AT SIREXE CONFERENCE: Nigeria Canvasses For Transparency In Africa’s Extractive Industries

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AT SIREXE CONFERENCE: Nigeria Canvasses For Transparency In Africa’s Extractive Industries

*** Our strengthened governance institutions will turn resource wealth into national prosperity – VP Shettima

By: Our Reporter

Nigeria has demanded strengthened governance, transparency, and collaboration from leaders and industry players to harness Africa’s resource wealth for sustainable development.

The Nigerian government also reaffirmed its commitment to creating an inclusive extractive industry anchored on the principles of transparency, regional partnerships, and local capacity building.

Vice President Kashim Shettima stated the nation’s position on Wednesday during the inaugural International Exhibition of Extractive and Energy Resources (Salon International des Ressources Extractives et Energétiques – SIREXE) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

He noted that effective institutions are the cornerstone of turning natural resources into national prosperity.

The summit with the theme, “Policies and Strategies for the Sustainable Development of the Extractive and Energy Industries,” brought together leaders from across Africa to discuss innovative solutions for resource management and energy security.

According to the Vice President, “this is not just about resources; it’s about people, prosperity, and posterity.

“The strength of our governance institutions will determine whether resource wealth becomes a blessing or a curse. With the right policies, transparency, and accountability, we can ensure that our mineral wealth fuels development rather than division,” he pointed out.

Vice President Shettima noted Nigeria’s leadership in transparency reforms with the creation of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in 2004.

“We became the first country in the world to domesticate the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative because we understood that opacity breeds inefficiency and corruption. Transparency is non-negotiable for building trust and ensuring inclusive benefits for all”.

Senator Shettima also stressed the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared challenges, saying, “Africa’s energy future is intertwined. The progress of one state ripples across others. Nigeria stands ready to share its lessons and collaborate with ECOWAS partners to build an extractive industry that works for our people.”

The VP described how restructuring the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 into a commercially-oriented entity has transformed the sector.

“NNPC Limited now operates with agility, transparency, and reduced government interference. This shift is setting a new standard for resource governance in Africa,” he explained.

The Vice President reiterated the critical role of local content development in driving economic growth, just as he he noted: “Through our Local Content Act of 2010, we increased local participation in the oil and gas industry from 5% to nearly 30%.

“The success of projects like the Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, showcases what is possible when we prioritise indigenous capacity and innovation.”

Acknowledging the challenges posed by vested interests and conflicts in resource-rich regions, Shettima said, “We cannot afford to allow cartels and instability to jeopardize our aspirations. That’s why Nigeria is investing in specialized policing frameworks to secure mining sites and ensure sustainable growth.

“Our continent is home to 40% of the world’s gold, 10% of its oil, and critical minerals like cobalt and lithium. Yet, our potential remains untapped. Let us rise to this moment, not as isolated nations but as a unified region,” he added.

In his remarks, the Vice President of Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Tremoko Meyliet Kone, expressed his appreciation for the visit of Vice President Shettima and others who came from different countries for the event.

He highlighted the benefits of collaboration among countries and stakeholders in the energy and extractive industries, including cross-breeding of ideas, job creation, and greater maximization of natural resources for the well-being of citizens.

While cautioning against pollution, climate degradation, and associated factors, especially in the mining sector, he said Côte d’Ivoire is doing its best to reduce emissions of environmental pollution.

In his welcoming remarks, the Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, Mr. Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, extended appreciation to VP Shettima, said the Vice President was the guest of honor at the event, and thanked all participants at the conference.

According to him, “there is a need for collaboration and partnership in the sector to meet the global energy needs of people and for economic development of nations.”

Mr. Coulibaly said the participation of other countries and stakeholders in this first edition of the conference is a sign of cooperation and collaboration to better develop the sector globally.

He said the conference has provided participants an avenue to interact and propose solutions to the challenges and risks involved and how best they can serve the people.

Earlier, the Ambassador of Norway to Côte d’Ivoire, Her Excellency Madam Ingrid Mollestad, said, “The conference was a testament to the nation’s ambition and dedication to enhancing its position as a champion in this industry and to navigate the intricacies and the changing global landscape.”

She noted that the gathering is to partner as nations and professionals to investigate sustainable development in the industry that is essential to the global economy and for collaboration, innovation, and shared values.

AT SIREXE CONFERENCE: Nigeria Canvasses For Transparency In Africa’s Extractive Industries

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NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

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NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Gombe State Office, on Tuesday, organised a state consultative meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) for the promotion and protection of human rights in the state.

The meeting which was held in Gombe brought together stakeholders from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), security agencies, community representatives, youth groups and other relevant stakeholders.

The engagement was to deliberate on the implementation of the NAP and to identify prevailing human rights concerns affecting citizens within Gombe State.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that the engagement served as a platform for interaction, exchange of ideas and collective commitment towards strengthening human rights protection mechanisms in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.

Represented by the State Coordinator, NHRC, Gombe State office Dr Joseph Wanshe, Ojukwu emphasised the importance of the NAP as a strategic framework designed to improve the human rights situation in the state and Nigeria through collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations and citizens.

Wanshe, while presenting an overview of the NAP, explained that the NAP is a comprehensive policy framework aimed at ensuring the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights in accordance with constitutional provisions and international human rights obligations ratified by Nigeria.

Mr Lemuel Akeweta while making his presentation said that the objectives of the meeting amongst others was to create awareness on the NAP for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.

Others he said was to encourage stakeholders’ participation in the implementation of the NAP; identifying prevailing human rights challenges within the state and strengthening collaboration among MDAs, CSOs and other stakeholders.

He also said that practical recommendations and way forward for effective implementation of the NAP at state and grassroots levels would be developed.

Our Correspondent reports that a total of 45 attendees cutting across 28 MDAs and 17 CSOs and a team of five NHRC staff were also present at the meeting.

NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe

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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested three suspected terrorist collaborators during a coordinated raid on identified enclaves in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Security sources said that the operation was carried out at about 0610 hours on May 10, 2026, by troops of Sector 3 OPWS deployed at Jimilari.

The sources said the troops conducted simultaneous raids on suspected terrorist hideouts at Binari, Chibi and Andamin communities following credible intelligence on the activities of criminal networks in the area.

According to the sources, three suspects believed to be providing support to terrorist elements were arrested during the operation.

Military authorities said the suspects are currently in custody and undergoing preliminary interrogation to determine the extent of their involvement and possible links to wider criminal networks.

They added that troops will sustain clearance operations and intelligence-led raids across vulnerable communities in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area to dismantle support structures for criminal elements and restore security in the area.

Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid

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Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

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Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

By: Adeola Labzy

When the Minister-Designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, told the Nigerian Senate that there was “no quick fix” to Nigeria’s electricity crisis, the statement stood out for departing from the familiar rhetoric that has long shaped public conversations about the sector. In a country where ambitious declarations on power reform have often generated headlines faster than measurable outcomes, Tegbe’s remarks offered an early signal of a different leadership posture, one anchored less on spectacle and more on execution.

This matters because Nigeria’s power sector has spent decades trapped in cycles of overpromising and institutional under-delivery. Successive reform efforts have come with bold projections, aggressive timelines, and repeated assurances. Yet the sector continues to struggle with liquidity constraints, weak market confidence, transmission vulnerabilities, collection inefficiencies, infrastructure deficits, and operational instability. Over time, the deeper casualty has not only been electricity supply, but institutional credibility.

Against that background, Tegbe’s emphasis on transparency, execution discipline, and operational realism should be read as a useful starting point, not a completed achievement. Nigeria’s electricity market does not suffer from a shortage of reform language. The problems are already well known to policymakers, operators, investors, regulators, and consumers. What has consistently undermined progress is fragmented implementation, weak accountability, poor coordination across the value chain, and the absence of sustained commercial discipline.

In that sense, Tegbe’s early posture appears calibrated toward restoring confidence in the system’s ability to execute before pursuing grand transformation narratives. This is particularly important in a sector where investor confidence, market liquidity, and operational stability are deeply interconnected. Markets respond not merely to ambition, but to predictability, governance credibility, and measurable execution. Each part of the value chain affects the other. Generation without evacuation capacity creates waste. Tariff reform without metering creates distrust. Investment without payment discipline weakens confidence. Policy statements without visible milestones deepen cynicism.

Financial sustainability will be one of the defining pillars of any credible reform effort. For years, the electricity market has operated within a fragile commercial structure marked by accumulated debts, subsidy pressures, payment shortfalls, collection gaps, and uncertainty over cost recovery. The long-term viability of the sector depends not only on expanding infrastructure, but on restoring commercial discipline and rebuilding confidence in the market itself.

This is where transparency becomes strategically important. Transparent reforms reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and give investors, operators, consumers, and policymakers a clearer basis for judging progress. In practical terms, transparency is not merely a governance principle; it is an economic stabilisation tool. It can help rebuild trust in tariff decisions, improve confidence in sector data, and create a more disciplined environment for investment and performance monitoring.

Equally important is execution discipline. Infrastructure projects rarely fail only because funding is unavailable. Many fail because coordination weakens, procurement becomes opaque, implementation drifts, and accountability is diluted. In the power sector, credibility will not be rebuilt by rhetoric alone. It will require visible, measurable, and sustained improvements in the operating system of reform.

Nigeria’s power sector does not require another cycle of exaggerated optimism followed by institutional disappointment. It requires leadership capable of confronting difficult realities honestly while building a credible pathway toward operational stability, financial sustainability, and long-term reform credibility.

That is why Tegbe’s insistence on transparent reforms and execution discipline is important. Its significance will not lie in the statement itself, but in whether it becomes a governing method. In a sector where credibility has become almost as scarce as stable electricity, restoring confidence in governance may be the first and most important reform of all.

Adeola Labzy writes from Abuja, Nigeria.

Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-

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