Stakeholders have expressed concern that years after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) it is appearing non-implementable with several obstacles inhibiting host communities from establishing trusteeships and trustfunds.

These concerns were the convergence point of discourse at a one-day capacity training workshop on Thursday, August 15, 2024 organised by Kebetkache Foundation, in collaboration with Oxfam, for civil society organizations (CSOs) and community heads from Imo and Delta States in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Participants deliberated on several contentions being faced by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) from its inception as a bill in the National Assembly to its current implementation stage, as well as the 3% allocation to host communities.

The organizers indicated that the event is focused on framing advocacy around the host communities as it pertains to the implementation of the PIA.

In an interview with Kristina Reports, Exective Director of the Centre for Leadership and Development (CLD), Chilos Godsent stated that since it was signed into law the three percent accruable to the host communities was ye to be implemented.

“Many communities have not implemented the 3% since it was signed into law. Many communities have not formed their host committee trustfund.”

“You already know the set laws which are that the companies determine, predominately, members of the committee. So, it has been very difficult for many communities which host communities to establish board of trustees and trustfund.”

“This is because the board of trustees’ members can also come from other sides of the community. So, there are a whole lot of challenges and lacuna within the PIA.”

Godsent further stated the measures that can be put in place in other to curb the excesses, and have a result oriented advocacy.

“What we have noticed in the past is that many of the community people have refused to understand that the IOCs are profit making ventures and they have limitations. So, we think that the community people need to be more organized because right now there are three indices; consciousness, organisation and action.”

“We are conscious about the challenges, problems and impact of the issue of petroleum exploration in our various communities, but what is remaining is that we need to be more organized to engage in more coordinated advocacy and actions that will bring positive impacts to the implementations of many of the sections in the PIA.”

He retorted that in spite of the fact that these trustees and boards have been politicized, the communities have to change their institutional and organisational frameworks, and the communities must be intact and be respected.

On his part, the keynote speaker, Dr. Tubodenyefa Zibima, who is also the Deputy Director of the Institute of Niger Delta Studies (INDS), emphasized that many community members are unaware of the established components due to the highly politicized nature of their composition.

“We can see that every community has its own specific experience regarding how these components have been established.”

“Many people do not even know these components exist in their communities, which speaks to the highly politicized nature of the process. The level of politics involved is driven by the significant funds attached to the operation of these mechanisms.”

Dr. Zibima pointed out that the current provisions of the PIA complicate efforts to ensure transparency and accountability due to external interferences in the selection process of committee members.

“Regarding the implementation of the host community component of the PIA, the issue of accountability and transparency is crucial. These are everyday terms, but in the context of the Niger Delta, they take on significant importance.”

“The PIA’s provisions complicate efforts to achieve transparency and accountability. The selection process for the board of trustees, the management committee, and the advisory committee is subject to external interference, excluding community participation.”

“Communities often have no idea how these individuals were selected, and even when they do, there is no community input. The act states that committee members must be from the community, but the transparency of the selection process is marred by secrecy, making it difficult for these committees to operate transparently.”

“Also they can contribute extensively to the selection to the framing of their needs. Through their needs assessment, if they do that, if the area of intervention overtly determined communities, they decide what they want as a community.

“Based on their objective, problems they face every day – economic, social problems and environmental problems – it becomes difficult for these board or the Management committee do something outside what these communities want.”

A youth leader from Delta State, Odhe Lukumen said that he had a factional board, calling on the government and all those concerned to carry the people along in their activities when it comes to leadership.

Woman Leader of Mgbala Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Martha Ubah advocated for women inclusion in the implementation of the Act, asserting that women should be accorded equal opportunity with their male colleagues in every area of leadership.

The workshop encouraged communities to demand transparency and accountability in the selection and operation of these committees.