The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has disclosed that the Host Community Development Trust fund has risen to N373bn as of October 13, 2025, with 536 community development projects currently ongoing across oil-producing areas in the country.
A statement signed by the Commission’s Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, on Monday, said the fund comprises N125bn and $168.9m, contributed by oil companies operating under the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
The HCDT, established under Section 235 of the Petroleum Industry Act, mandates oil companies, known as “settlors”, to allocate 3 per cent of their annual operating expenditure from the preceding financial year into a trust fund dedicated to the development of their host communities.
The statement read, “The Host Community Development Trust has risen to N373bn as of October 13, 2025,” the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has said, adding that at least 536 community projects are ongoing simultaneously.
According to the PIA, each settlor must, in consultation with host communities, appoint a Board of Trustees to oversee the management of the trust, which must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
The funds, which are lodged in banks with at least a BBB credit rating, are used to finance projects in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and environmental protection, among others.
The Commission explained that while it does not have direct access to the funds, it ensures transparency and compliance through a digital monitoring system known as HostComply, which tracks project execution and disbursement in real time.
Demonstrating the practical impact of the initiative, the NUPRC last month facilitated the commissioning of over 10 completed projects and the flag-off of more than 10 new ones under the Obagi Host Community Development Trust in Rivers State, operated by TotalEnergies.
The projects were inaugurated between September 24 and 25, 2025, at Ogbogu community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, marking what the Commission described as a defining milestone in the implementation of the PIA’s host community provisions.
Delivered projects include a two-storey classroom block comprising 18 fully furnished classrooms, the remodelling of Ogbogu Cottage Hospital with a 20-bed capacity and new diagnostic centre, and the upgrade of the Ogbogu Ultra-Modern Civic Centre.
Others include road pavements at Oboburu community, a bottled and sachet water factory in Amah community, and the installation of gas skid plants and school renovations in Erema and Akabuka communities.
According to the Commission Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, represented by the Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, John Tonglagha, the projects would address basic education, healthcare, and employment challenges in the host communities.
“These projects are designed to bring lasting benefits to our host communities while promoting peace and cooperation with the oil industry,” Komolafe said.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for creating a conducive policy environment that has attracted new upstream investments.
Speaking at the ceremony, Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, who represented Governor Siminalayi Fubara, praised the transparent management of HCDT funds, noting that community projects now deliver measurable results compared to past regimes.
“In previous years, funds sent to communities were not fully utilised. What we are witnessing now is accountability and impact,” she said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Host Communities, Senator Benson Agadaga, said the HCDT initiative was helping to sustain peace in the Niger Delta.
“The little peace we are seeing in the region today is because of the achievements of the PIA. Host communities now see real development and are less hostile,” he noted.
The Managing Director of TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Matthieu Bouyer, said the company was proud to be among the first to implement the HCDT mandate, adding that over 500 projects across 60 communities have been identified under its development plan.
“This initiative has created more than 1,000 jobs and will impact over 30,000 people,” Bouyer said, describing the Obagi Trust as “a model of what is possible when trust and policy align.”
The Chairman of the Obagi HCDT Board of Trustees, High Chief Dike Hopeson Dike, assured stakeholders of continued cooperation, revealing that the community had already provided over 125 solar-powered boreholes, addressing 70 per cent of its water needs.
“These projects are helping our people transition from poverty to prosperity,” Dike stated.
The Host Community Development Trust is one of the PIA’s flagship provisions designed to promote inclusiveness, transparency, and peace between oil companies and their host communities.
SOURCE: PUNCH NEWS PAPER
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