Precious Ibegwura,  a member of the Community Justice Team, recounts a change in the level of compliance from oil companies that began through Accountability Lab (AL) Nigeria’s Civic Action Teams (CivActs) in the Egi community of Rivers State.

One of the provisions of the Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDTF) regulation Section 12 (1a) is that the oil company, before establishing the trust, must consult the host communities for the appointment of the Board of Trustees (BOTs) to ensure the voices of the community are heard in the decision-making process.

However, before AL Nigeria’s CivActs intervention, there was a high level of non-compliance to this provision of the HCDTF regulation by Total Energies in the Egi community. Precious noted that community members were not engaged regarding the appointment of BOTs and the Management Committee members, both of which had already been inaugurated. Some community members (a group called the Egi People Assembly) with ties to Total Energies, primarily residing in Port Harcourt, negotiated their appointments to safeguard the oil company’s interests. This was a major challenge for Precious and members of her community, as it was clear that they were being exploited and excluded from the decision-making process with little or no knowledge of how to make things right. 

AL Nigeria, in response to this challenge, identified the necessity for increased community advocacy and representation. This resulted in the establishment of a Community Justice Team (CJT), with Precious as a member, and training for them, including the use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act for effective advocacy. This training empowered Precious and other CJTs with the knowledge and tools needed to approach Total Energies. They initiated advocacy efforts for compliance, such as a peaceful protest at the Port Harcourt branch of Total Energies, voicing their concerns and sending letters to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) seeking insights into the activities of Total Energies in their community. 

Faced with a community that is now informed, Total Energies had no choice but to comply to ensure the inaugurated BOTs for the HCDTF are individuals nominated and approved by Egi community. Additionally, they also requested a “peace talk” between the oil company, the BOTs, and the community members to chart a course towards mutual understanding of the community development plan (CDP) and ensure compliance with the provisions of the HCDTF regulations.

‘’The knowledge gained from the FOI Act training has enlightened me and exposed the secrets of the oil companies. The oil companies need to do better with carrying us along’’. Precious Ibegwura, CJT member