By Tina Amanda
Amid widespread pollution, environmental degradation, and increasing poverty in oil-producing communities, host communities have been urged to take ownership of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) to drive sustainable development.
This call was made during a CSO/Media Town Hall Engagement organized by BudgIT Foundation with support from Oxfam, where community members were sensitized on the importance of the trust fund and how to access it.
Speaking at the event, Eze Eberechi, Rivers State Officer for BudgIT Foundation, emphasized the need for every host community in Rivers State to utilize the 3% Host Community Development Trust Fund allocated under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) for their development.
Many communities in Rivers State are still unaware of how to access this fund. There is a need for continuous sensitization. Through community letters, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, and the media, their voices are now being heard,” Eberechi said.
She further explained that BudgIT is actively empowering communities with information on project tracking, funding access, and conflict resolution related to the HCDT.
“I am happy I go to communities to sensitize them, they now know better, they are no more helpless their voices are being heard through writing community letters, Freedom of Information (FOI), and the media.
“We encouraged them to be able to integrate this host community development trust, those people that do not know the benefit incurred from Petroleum industrial act. We enlighten them on what they need to know by empowering them with information and showing them how they can use it.
“Those communities that have issues with funding, leadership problems we channel them the way to go about the dispute.”
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A community member, whose locality has been benefiting from the trust fund, revealed that his community has over ₦150 million in its account, while others also shared their experiences on fund utilization.
Ejiogu Augustine, Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Odagwa Etche, confirmed that his community has begun receiving the 3% HCDT fund and is currently in the project budgeting stage.
“Communities must utilize this fund effectively. If oil production is high, the 3% amounts to a substantial sum that should be used for essential services such as healthcare, agriculture, and education. We have received our allocation and are in the process of budgeting.”
Augustine, however, called for an increase in the fund from 3% to 10% or more, stressing that oil-producing communities bear the brunt of environmental degradation and deserve greater support.
The engagement emphasized the need for collaboration among the media, civil society organizations, and community leaders to ensure that host communities benefit fully from the development of trust.
