The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, on Tuesday commended the KEFFESO Host Community Development Trust (KHCDT) and its oil and gas industry partners, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P), for impressive strides in projects and programmes that speak to the major thrusts of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, and objectives of the Board’s Community Content Guideline (CCG).
Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs) are a creation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021, administered by Boards of Trustees (BoTs), which oversee the utilisation of funds (3% of annual operating expenditure of upstream petroleum companies in their respective areas) for the purpose of fostering sustainable economic development, human capacity development, and provision of basic infrastructure. The ultimate aim of the Trusts is to systematically address age-old grievances of neglect in such communities and create a safe and secure operating environment for personnel and assets of oil and gas companies.
Speaking at the Second KEFFESO HCDT Stakeholder Forum, themed “Strengthening Visionary Leadership, Accountability, and Inclusive Growth in Host Communities,” at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Yenagoa, Engr. Ogbe noted that the Trust, by its success story, “represents a new era where communities can take ownership of development priorities, partners can coordinate efforts more effectively, and trust [between communities and industry operators] can be rebuilt through structured engagement.”
He drew attention to the first pillar of the theme – Visionary Leadership – which he said accords with an operating principle of the Board that empowerment of people, particularly youths and women, through skills and opportunity, is a core responsibility of leadership, and that programmes such as vocational training, mentorship and support for local businesses to enable them to participate in the oil and gas value chain are critically important. He thus commended the emphasis on leadership.
While challenging HCDTs to commit to transparent selection and prioritisation of projects, clear procurement and contract management processes, regular reporting to beneficiaries and stakeholders, Engr. Ogbe, represented by Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, Director of Corporate Services in NCDMB, said NCDMB supports growth models that widen opportunity by strengthening local participation, local supply chains, and local enterprise development.
According to him, “For host communities, inclusive growth means that projects and programmes create pathways to jobs and sustainable livelihoods, provide space for women and youth leadership, support SMEs [small and medium enterprises] and local contractors to grow responsibly and address community needs – education, healthcare, livelihoods, and sustainable infrastructure.”
Issues addressed by the Executive Secretary were echoed in a presentation entitled “Strategic Visioning for Host Communities: 2026” by Mr. Ifeanyi Ukoha, General Manager, Zonal Coordination, of NCDMB, who dwelt at length on parallels between the programmes and projects of the HCDTs and provisions of NCDMB’s Community Content Guideline.
He said the Guideline provides “a structured framework to ensure that host communities are not merely engaged but are fully integrated into the oil and gas value chain.” According to him, “The Guideline requires that community content provisions be embedded within the Nigerian Content Plan submitted by [industry] operators, thereby making community participation a core requirement in project development and execution.”
Earlier in a welcome address, the Convener of the Forum, KHCDT BoT Chairman HRH Moses Theophilus, described the PIA as “a transformative framework that has placed development opportunities directly in the hands of communities,” and thus “a strong foundation on which we must continue to build.” He was, however, quick to add that “its implementation is not without challenges,” and that “deliberate attention” is required to address identified gaps.
He pointed out that one of the major gaps identified from various engagements of the Trust was “the need for clearer and long-term visioning” as well as leadership capacity to determine priorities. He said while the 2025 edition of the Forum centred on “strengthening leadership capacities, ensuring transparency in project execution, promoting inclusivity across youths, women and vulnerable groups, and building sustainable community-driven initiatives,” the 2026 edition was focused on “deepening leadership vision, strengthening the accountability system, and advancing inclusive growth across our communities.”
Co-convener First E&P, in a goodwill message by the Managing Director, Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, pointed out that “a vital measure of success for HCDTs lies not only in the execution of projects, but also in the strength of the institutions built, the quality of leadership demonstrated, and the level of trust earned through transparency and inclusion.”
According to him, “While the Trust operates as an independent institution, our vision for the KHCDT is a Trust that builds resilient institutions, manages expectations responsibly, fosters social cohesion, and serves as a benchmark for transparent, accountable, collaborative and sustainable host community development in Nigeria’s extractive sector….”
He assured that First E&P remains committed to supporting the KHCDT’s growth through capacity building, governance strengthening, and the promotion of global best practices, while emphasising that “First E&P seeks long-term planning” and that “HCDTs should be centres of innovation and enterprise.”
The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by the State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Barr. Peter Afagha stated that HCDTs have potential to be pivotal platforms for communities to plan and achieve meaningful development.
He said his Administration has invested reasonably in order to enthrone peace and security in the State, and that the prevailing atmosphere would attract businesses to the State. He invited participants at the Forum to witness the commissioning ceremonies for the 60-megawatt gas turbine in Elebele and the 632-metre-Angiama-Oporoma Bridge to be performed on Friday April 10 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a keynote address, the CCE of NUPRC, Mrs. Eyesan, represented by Mr. Sylvester Bighoro, Field Coordinator and Head of the Bayelsa Operational Office, assured that the Commission is committed to supporting development frameworks that promote community development. She commended First E&P and KHCDT for steady progress in implementation of the PIA.
For his part, the CEO of NMDPRA, Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, represented by Mr. Godwin Iruafemi, Coordinator of the Authority in Bayelsa State, said a commitment to inclusion, accountability, and progress was critically important, while calling for deliberate actions and a strong governance framework.
He noted that genuine collaboration must guide the actions of HCDTs, stating that “a 21st Century model for community development” was imperative. He also charged regulators to ensure effective oversight.
In a presentation on “Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Development under the PIA: Pathways for Vision, Collaboration, and Accountability,” Mrs. Ayebatonye Benjamin-Basuo, Head of Social Performance at First E&P, emphasised that beyond compliance, HCDTs need to dedicate energies towards sound leadership, accountability, vision, collaboration and partnership. Partnership, she explained, is more useful than collaboration, which she described as fleeting.
In a plenary session, the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD) of the NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, addressed the subject of collaboration, among other things, advising stakeholders to undertake mapping, identifying key players – their influence and interests – whose activities could impact their own operations and determine how to closely collaborate with them.
Far-reaching recommendations of the Workshop centred on strategies for strengthening leadership, accountability, and inclusive growth. The imperative of partnerships among HCDTs in which expertise and resources are pooled together by two or more of Trusts was also emphasised to enable them to undertake projects requiring huge capital outlay and technical capabilities.
KEFFESO HCDT comprises Koluama1, Koluama 2, Ezetu 1, Ezetu 2, Foropa, Fishtown, Ekeni, Sangana, Opu Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, Oginibiri, which are host communities to NNPC/First E&P, which operate Joint Venture OML 83 and 85. Together they constitute a cluster for development purposes under the PIA.
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