President Buhari Appoints Ex-THISDAY Editor, Waziri Adio, Executive Secretary of NEITI

Mr. Waziri Adio

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday approved the appointment of a new National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) otherwise known as Governing Board for the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

Also appointed is a former editor and columnist of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Waziri Adio, as the executive secretary.
This was contained in a statement by the Director of Press, Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi.

The chairman of the new Governing Board of NEITI included Minister of Solid Minerals Development is the chairman, members who are Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

President, Miners Association of Nigeria, representative of the Civil Society Organisations, are to be elected by the organisations members.

Members also include President, Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society and President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG).

Hannatu Musa Musawa a journalist, is the representative of the North-west geo-political zone as  a member. Mr. Lawan Gana Lantaiwa, a consultant and a representative of the North-east geo-political zone is also a member.

Mr. Bernard B. A. Ver, an accountant, is the representative of the North-central geo-political zone as a member; while Mrs. Anne Adaeze Onyekwen, represents South-east geo-political zone on the board; Mr. Emmanuel Chiejina, a lawyer, represents South-south geo-political zone; Mr. Gbenga Onayiga, a journalist, represents South-west geo-political zone on the board; and and Mr. Waziri Onibiyo Adio is the Executive Secretary.

The new governing board according to the statement, would be inaugurated in due course. Until his appointment,  Adio was a member, Editorial Board of THISDAY Newspapers, Communication Consultant and Publisher of Metropole Magazine. 

Between 1995 and 2003, he held various editorial positions in THISDAY Newspaper and was Special Adviser, Research and Strategy, Office of the Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria from August 2003 to October 2004.

He was appointed Communication Specialist by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2004, a position he held until 2007 when he left to serve as Director of Communications, NEITI from May 2007 to June 2008.

Adio graduated with a BSc. (Mass Communication) from the University of Lagos in 1992, and obtained MSc. (Journalism) Degree from Columbia University, New York, United States of America in 1999.

He also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA, 2009.