Stephen Okunima, a member of the Community Justice Team from the Utagba Ogbe community in Delta State, shares the story of his community through Accountability Lab (AL) Nigeria’s Civic Action Teams (CivActs).

Mr. Stephen shared that before AL Nigeria’s CivActs programme, Nigerian Agip Oil had yet to establish the Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDTF). He identified this as a significant challenge, as the absence of the HCDTF would deprive the community of its rightful benefits. He explained that the delay was due to the community’s hesitation, driven by fear of the unknown surrounding the HCDTF provisions. They were concerned that it might dismantle the existing benefits of the Community Accredited Contact Committee (CACC) under their Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) with the oil company. Additionally, the professional qualifications required for HCDTF Board of Trustees (BOTs) positions excluded many members of the former CACC structure,  who resisted the new HCDTF transition structure to avoid being displaced.

AL Nigeria, recognizing the community’s concerns, established and trained a Community Justice Team (CJT) on the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Stephen found the training useful; he gained more insights into the provisions of the PIA and the HCDTF. In a proactive step to tackle this challenge, he mobilized other CJTs and initiated several community engagements where he transferred the knowledge. They discussed what he learnt from the training to bridge the knowledge gap and enable those resisting the HCDTF to understand its benefits for the community’s good.

The community’s understanding of the PIA and the HCDTF has significantly increased, leading to widespread acceptance. Through town hall meetings organized by Stephen and other CJTs, even those who initially resisted the HCDTF in favour of the CACC have now fully embraced the HCDTF structure. As a result, AGIP, recognizing the community’s increased awareness after engaging in several dialogues with the community, has established the Trust. They also inaugurated a Board of Trustees, with members nominated by the community, ensuring they are individuals the community trusts.

‘’Many people in the oil-producing communities were unaware of their privileges under the PIA and the HCDTF regulation, but the training has been instrumental in bringing this to our attention.” – Stephen