Obstacles to effective participation of civil society organizations in Nigerian extractive industry transparency initiative

ABSTRACT The extractive industry is essential to the economic development of Nigeria. Accordingly, section 6 of Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Act 2007provides for a stakeholders forum called National Stakeholders Working Group of which Civil Society Organizations are involved. But the participation of civil society organizations in this forum has not been effective. Using doctrinal approach, the paper analyses the roles of civil society organizations as stakeholder representative in Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative. It seeks to identify the obstacles hindering their effective participation. The paper finds that problems ranging from lack of cooperation among the civil society organizations, politicization of their appointments by the President into the forum and other issues act as hindrances to their effective participation in the National Stakeholders Working Group. It is suggested that section 6 of Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Act be amended to give civil society organization the freedom to appoint a representative into the forum while they are encouraged to develop a better synergy amongst them.