To advance transparency and promote community-led development under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has completed a series of Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) Database Validation Meetings across Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.
Held under The Bridges Project, these validation meetings brought together stakeholders from Host Community Development Trust Boards, settlors, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), traditional leadership, civil society organizations, and local governments. These sessions aimed to validate and refine data critical to governance and development planning in host communities, reinforcing PIND’s commitment to credible, community-driven processes.
Advancing Data Integrity for Community-Led Planning
The meetings built upon earlier consultations, focusing on validating project priorities and ensuring that gathered data accurately reflected the realities, needs, and aspirations of host communities.
Speaking at one of sessions, Mr. Chuks Ofulue, PIND’s Advocacy Manager, emphasized, “When communities validate their own data, it strengthens ownership and ensures that development planning is truly inclusive. This is key to building transparency, trust, and long-term accountability in HCDT operations.”
Key Outcomes of the Validation Process
The validation meetings yielded significant insights and outcomes, including:
- Confirmation of community-prioritized projects and development areas
- Assessment of governance structures and readiness of HCDT actors
- Identification of training and capacity-building needs
- Mapping of existing infrastructure, local assets, and risk factors
- Strengthening of accountability and conflict resolution mechanisms
Aligning Governance for Scalable Impact
These sessions also enhanced alignment between settlors, communities, and regulatory bodies on sustainable governance models that are locally rooted and context-sensitive. Each meeting provided a platform to clarify stakeholder roles, strengthen partnerships, and affirm the shared commitment to effectively managing the 3% Operating Expenditure allocation under the PIA.
Moving Forward
The final validation session is scheduled for July 3, 2025, in Ondo State, Following that, PIND will consolidate findings from all five states into a unified HCDT database and action plan. This will guide strategic engagements with communities, oil companies, and government agencies, ensuring that the implementation of HCDTs across the Niger Delta is grounded in verified data, community input, and robust accountability frameworks.
As PIND continues to support the institutionalization of locally driven structures, it reaffirms its commitment to strengthening accountability, governance, and inclusive development under the PIA across the Niger Delta.
