Transparency organisation elects Nigeria’s Minister of State into international board

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has been elected a member of the international board of the Global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
This was contained in a statement by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative’s acting Director of Communication, Obiageli Onuorah, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The statement said Ahmed, former Executive Secretary of NEITI, was elected to represent 11 English-speaking countries in Sub Saharan Africa on the board of the global organisation made up of 50 countries.
The countries are Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.
It said NEITI had proposed the candidature of Ahmed following her excellent service while serving NEITI as Executive Secretary and the global EITI in the last five years.
The Acting Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, while responding to the election, said: “The election of the minister was an overwhelming endorsement of member countries of the EITI on the on-going reforms and the anti-corruption war.
“It is also in recognition of the global acceptance of the impact of NEITI through courageous public disclosure of the lapses and corruption in the oil and gas industry over the years.
“I am confident that Nigeria’s membership of the international board will create a wider forum to market and sell the anti-corruption agenda of the government in the international arena and rebuild the confidence of investors in Nigeria economy.
“NEITI is very encouraged by this development. We owe this achievement to the support of our multi stakeholders, the government, companies, civil society and the media.”
The statement said the election was coming at a time the government began implementation of NEITI reports recommendations in the oil, gas and mining sector.
EITI international board is the highest executive decision making organ of the world body.
It said Ahmed would join 20 other members of the board drawn from the six regions of the world.
The statement added that the incoming board members would be inaugurated at the Global Conference in Lima, Peru, in February.
It said the conference would be chaired by a former Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt.
NAN.