Civil Society Organisations, has raised alarm over what it described as prolonged delays by NNPCL E&P Limited (NEPL) in implementing the Afam Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) Community Development Plan, despite the Trust having been established since inception.
The concerns were expressed during a visit to the Afam Host Community Development Trust in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, by LightHope Initiative in collaboration with Peer Foundation, alongside GAFON Consult Limited and supported by Policy Alert, a non-governmental organisation, on January 27, 2026.
During engagements with members of the Board of Trustees and the Management Committee of the Afam HCDT, it was disclosed that NNPCL E&P Limited, as the settlor of the Trust, is yet to commence implementation of the approved Community Development Plan for the Afam host communities.
According to the groups, NEPL did not commence funding and implementation of projects from the 2022 Host Community Development Trust Fund, as required under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). They noted that implementation reportedly began in 2023, leaving the 2022 Host Community Trust Fund unfunded and unimplemented, contrary to the provisions of the Act.
LightHope Initiative and Peer Foundation also expressed concern that delays in regulatory approvals, alongside outstanding statutory contributions, have continued to stall critical development projects, thereby denying Afam host communities the benefits guaranteed under the PIA.
In a joint call to action, the organisations urged NNPCL E&P Limited to facilitate the immediate approval of the Afam HCDT Community Development Plans by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), commission selected contractors for the prompt execution of approved projects, and release all outstanding backlog of the statutory three per cent operating expenditure owed to the Trust.
They further called on NEPL to retrospectively fund the Afam Host Community Development Trust from 2022 in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, stressing that timely compliance is necessary to restore trust, strengthen accountability, and ensure meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable development in Afam host communities.
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