The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has announced that the Host Community Development Trust Fund has risen to N373 billion, with 536 community projects currently ongoing across the country.
In a statement signed by its Head of Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, the Commission said the fund comprises N125 billion and $168.9 million, underscoring the growing impact of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021on host community development.
Oil firms must create Host Community Development Trusts for the benefit of their host communities in accordance with Section 235 of the PIA.
The law mandates them to contribute 3% of their operating expenditure from the previous financial year into a trust fund managed by a board of trustees in consultation with host communities.
The NUPRC explained that while it does not have direct access to the funds, it monitors implementation through a dashboard known as “HostComply”, ensuring transparency and accountability in project execution.
The fund, it said, supports initiatives in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and environmental protection, giving communities a stronger sense of ownership and reducing pipeline vandalism and unrest in the Niger Delta.
Highlighting progress under the PIA framework, the Commission said that in September 2025, it facilitated the delivery of over 10 completed projects and the flag-off of another 10 under the Obagi Host Community Development Trust in Rivers State, operated by TotalEnergies.
The projects were handed over to host communities of OML 58 during a two-day commissioning ceremony held at Ogbogu Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area.
Delivered projects include: A two-storey classroom block with 18 fully furnished classrooms at Ogbogu Community, A remodelled Ogbogu Cottage Hospital with 20-bed capacity and a new diagnostic centre, An upgraded 1,200-capacity Ogbogu Civic Centre, Asphalt and concrete pavement roads in Obe and Oboburu communities, The Amah Bottling Water Factory with a 1,500-bottle-per-hour capacity, A Gas Skid Plant in Erema Community and Renovation and equipping of Akabuka South and North Primary Schools.
Commission Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, represented by John Roland Tonglagha, said the projects were designed to address key needs in education, healthcare, and employment. He urged communities to protect the infrastructure and collaborate with oil operators to promote national prosperity.
Komolafe also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his reforms, which he said have created a more investment-friendly environment in the upstream sector.
Representing the Rivers State Governor, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu commended the timely completion of the projects, noting that “in previous administrations, funds were sent to communities but were not fully utilised the way it is now.”
Also speaking, Benson Agadaga, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Host Communities, said the implementation of the PIA was bringing peace and tangible development to the Niger Delta.
He said, “This is a challenge to other HCDTs to do the same because the little peace we are seeing today in the Niger Delta is because of the achievements of the PIA, and the host communities are no longer as hostile as before.”
Managing Director of TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Matthieu Bouyer, expressed pride in being among the first to fully implement the HCDT framework.
He said, “We are one of the first, if not the first, International Oil Companies to create and fund the Trust two years ago, which of course, is the Obagi HCDT. Within the community development plan, there are more than 500 projects currently identified, touching more than 60 communities.”
Bouyer added that the Obagi HCDT had created over 1,000 jobs and would impact more than 30,000 people, describing it as “a shining example of what is possible when trust and policy are aligned.”
Chairman of the Obagi HCDT Board of Trustees, Dike Hopeson Dike, assured the Commission and TotalEnergies of continued community cooperation.
He said, “In less than one year, we have given our people over 125 units of 5,000-litre solar boreholes, and as of today, we have solved over 70% of our water problem.”
The NUPRC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the HCDT framework continues to deliver visible, sustainable development and foster peaceful coexistence between host communities and oil operators across Nigeria.
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