By Olawale Ajimotokan
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji as the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
He succeeds Waziri Adio, whose non- renewable five-year single term as executive secretary, comes to an end on Thursday.
The Director Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, in a statement on Thursday says the appointment is for a single term of five years in accordance with the provision of Section 12 (2) (a) and 6 (3) of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (Establishment) Act, 2007.
Orji’s appointment takes effect from Friday, February, 19, 2021.
Until the appointment, Orji was the agency’s Director of Communications and Advocacy.
He began his career at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and also worked with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where he managed several donor-funded projects.
He holds MSc degree and PhD in Political Economy and International Development from the University of Abuja.
NEITI was established in 2004 as the key anti-corruption agency at the Presidency responsible for enthroning transparency, accountability and governance of the country’s oil, gas and mining industries.
The statement said President Buhari enjoined the new appointee to serve the nation with all sense of responsibility, honesty, diligence and promote good governance in the discharge of his duties.
