NNPC Recommits To Effective Utilisation Of Host Community Funds

NNPC Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that funds allocated under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) are effectively utilised to deliver meaningful development in host communities.

This pledge was made during a stakeholder engagement session held with the KEFFESO Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), a cluster of host communities comprising Koluama 1 and 2, Ezetu 1 and 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, Sangana, Opu Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, and Oginibiri in Bayelsa State, under the NNPC Limited/FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) JV, at the weekend.

Speaking at the engagement session which was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the chief upstream investment officer of NNPC Limited, Seyi Omotowa, said

NNPC Ltd was committed to ensuring that funds approved for the development of host communities under the PIA are channelled towards projects that address  critical needs such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Omotowa, who was represented by the deputy manager, External Relations, NUIMS, Edith Lawson, stressed that collaboration between stakeholders was essential to achieving lasting socio-economic development.

In his remarks, the minister of state, Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, commended the NNPC LTD/FIRST E&P JV for sustaining its strategic partnership with KEFFESO HCDT and urged community leaders to work together to ensure peace and stability in their communities.

He emphasised that without peace, companies would struggle to operate effectively, ultimately impacting the 3% Host Community Fund approved in the PIA for development initiatives.

Also speaking at the event, the executive commissioner, Safety, Environment, and Community, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),

John Tonlagha, who represented the chief executive officer of the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, commended the institutionalisation of the community development trust initiative, describing it as a defining moment in Nigeria’s  petroleum sector with the introduction of the much-needed governance, transparency, and accountability in community development efforts.

The executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who was represented by the Board’s .

Director of Legal Services, Naboth Onyesoh, commended the KEFFESO HCDT for its commitment to driving sustainable development through the PIA framework and the NUPRC for successfully incorporating over 100 Host

Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) to support socio-economic growth in the region.

On his part, the managing director of FIRST E&P, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, who was represented by John Alamu, commended the KEFFESO HCDT for creating

a platform that encourages dialogue, collaboration, and accountability, describing it as a model for other host community development trusts to emulate.

The chairman of the KEFFESO HCDT, His Royal Highness, Moses Theophilus, lauded the NNPC Limited/FIRST E&P JV for its proactive steps in ensuring that the KEFFESO communities benefit significantly from the PIA framework.

The forum concluded with a collective call for sustained collaboration, emphasising that the success of the PIA depends on strong partnerships, peace, and a shared

commitment to community development.