By: Theresa Donatus, Uyo.

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s extractive sector have called for greater community participation, transparency and accountability in the management of natural resources, insisting that host communities must be at the centre of decision-making as the country transitions to cleaner energy.

The call was made yesterday during a National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Natural Resource Governance, Just Transition, Environmental Justice and Community Accountability held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with the theme: “Strengthening Community Voices, Accountability and Sustainable Development in Nigeria’s Extractive Sector.” The dialogue was convened by the Clement Isong Foundation (CIF) and the Akwa Ibom Extractive Justice Alliance (AKEJA) in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA II), with support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

Delivering her opening remarks, Programme Officer of ActionAid Nigeria, Blessing Ifemenam, said despite Akwa Ibom’s immense contribution to Nigeria’s oil wealth, many host communities continue to suffer environmental degradation, loss of livelihoods and limited socio-economic benefits.

She stressed that the success of natural resource governance should be measured not by the revenue generated but by its impact on the lives of host communities.

“As the world accelerates the transition to cleaner energy and low-carbon development, Nigeria also faces an important responsibility to ensure that this transition is just. Communities must not merely be beneficiaries but active partners in shaping decisions about their natural resources and their future,” she said.

Ifemenam explained that ActionAid Nigeria, through the Strategic Partnership Agreement II project, has worked with communities, women, youth groups, civil society organisations and government institutions to strengthen environmental justice, accountable governance, climate resilience and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

She expressed optimism that the dialogue would culminate in the adoption of an Akwa Ibom Declaration to serve as a roadmap for governments, industry, civil society and communities in advancing transparent and inclusive natural resource governance.

Delivering the keynote address, Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said decades of oil exploration had enriched Nigeria while leaving host communities to contend with pollution, unemployment, gas flaring and declining livelihoods.

“We are not merely discussing natural resources; we are discussing people, justice, power and who benefits from our common wealth,” he said.

Fyneface blamed poor implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), weak transparency in the management of Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs), elite capture and the exclusion of women and youths from decision-making for the persistent development challenges in oil-producing communities.

He advocated institutionalising Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), guaranteeing at least 30 per cent representation for women and youths in HCDTs, public disclosure of trust budgets, independent community audits, increased investment in renewable energy and stronger collaboration among stakeholders to improve accountability across the extractive sector.

At the end of the dialogue, participants adopted a communiqué and the Akwa Ibom Declaration on Natural Resource Governance, Just Transition, Environmental Justice and Community Accountability, expressing concern that despite the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, many host communities continue to bear the environmental and social costs of oil exploration while remaining excluded from governance structures established for their benefit.

The stakeholders observed that decades of oil spills and gas flaring have degraded farmlands, rivers and public health across the Niger Delta, while significant gaps persist in the implementation of Host Community Development Trusts due to poor transparency, elite capture and the exclusion of women and youths.

They also criticised Executive Order 9, arguing that it undermines the Petroleum Industry Act by diverting gas flare penalties meant for environmental remediation and host community infrastructure into the Federation Account, thereby denying affected communities the relief guaranteed under the law. Participants further noted that delayed remittance of the statutory three per cent contribution to HCDTs has slowed the execution of community development projects.

To address the challenges, the communiqué urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to amend the Petroleum Industry Act by increasing host community trust contributions from three to seven per cent and removing provisions that reduce community allocations in cases of pipeline vandalism beyond their control.

It also called for amendments to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Regulations 2024 to strengthen community ownership of projects, while urging government to empower the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to enforce environmental standards and ensure prompt responses to oil spill incidents.

Participants further recommended that regulators institutionalise Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), guarantee at least 30 per cent representation for women, youths and persons with disabilities in HCDTs, establish a Community Accountability Framework, publicly disclose trust budgets and improve fiscal transparency by enabling citizens to track revenues from extraction to community development.

The communiqué also urged Host Community Development Trusts to invest in renewable energy, green skills development, agroecology, mangrove restoration, youth entrepreneurship and community-owned energy projects, while embracing digital platforms to improve transparency and public engagement.

Civil society organisations were encouraged to deepen collaboration through alliances such as AKEJA and establish a State Multi-Stakeholder Platform on Just Transition to coordinate advocacy and oversight.

In the Akwa Ibom Declaration, stakeholders resolved to continue pressing for the immediate removal of gas flare penalties from revenues captured under Executive Order 9, insisting that such funds should be used exclusively for environmental remediation and relief for host communities as provided under the Petroleum Industry Act.

They also agreed to submit a position paper to the National Assembly Committee on Host Community Development Trusts seeking stronger legal provisions on inclusion, transparency and sanctions for negligence.

The declaration further committed stakeholders to encourage HCDTs to increase investments in renewable energy, green skills, agroecology, mangrove restoration and youth entrepreneurship, while reconvening periodically to assess implementation of the resolutions reached during the dialogue.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) pledged to align its interventions with community needs assessments centred on clean energy, while the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Environment committed to intensifying public education on environmental justice. Media organisations also resolved to deploy the Freedom of Information Act to promote transparency and accountability in Host Community Trust implementation, while civil society organisations pledged to intensify efforts to end impunity in the extractive sector.

Participants expressed optimism that the communiqué and the Akwa Ibom Declaration would provide a practical framework for advancing environmental justice, strengthening accountability, promoting community participation and ensuring that the transition to cleaner energy delivers sustainable development and shared prosperity for oil-producing communities in Akwa Ibom and across Nigeria.