NEITI And Gender Participation In The Oil Sector

by Ogonnaya Dibia

Statistically between 1999-2004 oil companies in Nigeria drilled more than 1,000 wells, produced more than 5 billion of oil, and raised barrels capacity to around 2.5 million barrels per day, some three percent of the global output.

Oil reserves are now estimated at over billion barrels, and gas in excess of 180 trillion cubic feet. Ever since the oil industry took over the sector in the 1950s, Nigerians have suspected that the sector has been mismanaged, and that its fabulous revenues have been used to benefit the country's ruler rather than its citizens especially women and children working in the minning sector.

This is evident in the absence of the kind of infrastructure, health and education services that should befit the world's 12th largest oil producer in the world which underscore the ranking of Nigeria's position as 158th out of 177 poor countries by UN in its Human Development Index”.

Recently, the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) organised a two-day workshop on the implication of NEITI 2005 Audit on Gender in Markurdi. In attendance were various stakeholders from civil society organizations women in the media drawn from Nigerian Women of Journalist (NAWOJ).

The workshop according to the organizer is aimed at sensitizing civil society organizations as well as provides opportunity for them to understand the sector and have the tools to scrutinize it, debate the findings in an informed way as well as ask further questions and challenge executives and officials over errors, omission and malpractices.

Delivering her paper titled “understanding the impact of Artisan and small Scale minning on Women in communities” Mrs. Mimidoo Achakp called on the federal government to assist women miners in the federation in proving basic amenities such as good health facilities and schools in the environment they work as miners.

She also called on the government to look into some laws prohibiting women from owning their own property or inheriting properties and provide enabling law protecting the rights of the Nigerian women.
Women and children, she noted suffer most during violence, environment pollution, Gas flaring, oil spillage and Eco-system damage in the extractive industry.

According to her, they form the bulk of the national population yet live in abject poverty, lack basic education and traumatized when violence erupt in the area they operate.

She, however, enjoined stakeholders in the forum to embark on advocacy visit to communities and identify women working in the mining sector in a bid to educating them for a better understanding of the workings of NEITI.

In his presentation entitled: “why does Gender matter in the Extractive Industry”, Mr. Uche Igwe, programme officer of NEITI noted that since the discovery of oil, gas and solid minerals in country, women and children are more vulnerable to problems emanating from the environment.

According to him, in spite of the 3.6million Gas reserve in the country, women in the extractive industry who form the bulk of the national population still live in penury and continue to suffer neglect by the government and oil companies excavating oil from their land.

Part of its resolution at the end of the stakeholder's workshop is a proposal for NEITI to establish a Gender Desk on Extractive industry transparency initiative and include women in the NEITI National stakeholders working group.

They also called on civil society organizations in the country and the media to embrace women in the mining sector and become a voice for them in their various communities in addition to urging federal government to expedite action to implement laws protecting the rights of the Nigerians women and children in the minning sector.

Members of the workshop also proposed to pay advocacy visit to the Governors of Zamfara state to educate women miners in the state for better understanding of the extractive industries transparency initiatives (NEITI).
Plans are on the organization to collaborate with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Abuja to train female journalists in the association on the activities of NEITI

President Goodluck Jonathan said recently that African leaders must act urgently to boost agricultural production to avoid a worsening food crisis already being experienced in some countries.

The president stated this at an interactive section with the Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food And Agricultural Organisation (FAO), at the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Jonathan said African governments clearly needed to evolve and implement more measures to address the problems hindering increased food production, such as water scarcity and an aging farming population.
``Africa really needs to do more. We must encourage commercial farming.

``The problem of young people not wanting to farm is compounded by an aging farming population and must also be addressed.
``We must start now to plan and take action to confront these and other challenges in the area of food production,'' the president said.

He assured Diouf that the Federal Government would continue to support and cooperate with FAO in its efforts to ensure food security in Africa and other parts of the world.

The president noted that FAO's efforts under Diuof's leadership were already having a beneficial impact on Africa.
Diouf told the president that Nigeria was making good progress in the area of food production but could still do more to ensure its own food security and contribute to other less endowed African countries.

He expressed hope that under Jonathan's leadership, Nigeria would commit more funds toward boosting agricultural production and move more rapidly toward doubling its current levels of food production.