President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr Ogbonnaya Orji as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Willie Bassey, announced the appointment via a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.

Bassey said that Orji’s appointment was 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 is for a single term of five years.

“The appointment takes effect from 19 February, 2021,” the statement read.

Orji takes over from Waziri Adio, whose tenure expires on Thursday, February 18.

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 Dr. Orji managed several donor-funded projects.

He holds MSc degree and PhD in Political Economy and International Development from the from the University of Abuja.