The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has intensified efforts to ensure Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) funds deliver meaningful development in Niger Delta communities.
The NNPC officials made this known during a stakeholder engagement with the KEFFESO Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. Seyi Omotowa, represented by Mrs. Edith Lawson, emphasized the company’s commitment to channeling allocated funds toward critical needs in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“Collaboration between stakeholders is essential to achieving lasting socio-economic development,” Lawson stated.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, praised the NNPC/FIRST E&P Joint Venture for maintaining strategic partnerships with KEFFESO HCDT while urging community leaders to ensure peace and stability.
“Without peace, companies will struggle to operate effectively, ultimately impacting the 3% Host Community Fund approved for development initiatives,” the Minister cautioned.
The engagement session brought together representatives from regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), who commended the institutionalization of community development trusts as a significant advancement in governance, transparency, and accountability in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
His Royal Highness Moses Theophilus, Chairman of KEFFESO HCDT, expressed appreciation for NNPC Limited’s proactive approach to implementing the PIA framework in benefiting local communities, which comprise Koluama 1 and 2, Ezetu 1 and 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, Sangana, Opu Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, and Oginibiri in Bayelsa State.