RMAFC Gives NUPRC 48 Hours to Dissolve Host Community Trust
By Patience Ikpeme
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has ordered the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to scrap the Host Community Development Trust set up for communities affected by the operations of Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO). The Commission gave the regulator only 48 hours to comply.
The directive was issued in Abuja during an investigative hearing organised by RMAFC’s Investment Monitoring Committee. The Committee is looking into how SEEPCO and NUPRC have handled the Host Community Development Trust provisions under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
A statement was released by Maryam Umar Yusuf, Head of the Information and Public Relations Unit. In it, RMAFC Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, said the Commission remains fully committed to protecting the interests of oil-producing communities across the country.
He described the investigation as a serious national assignment. He praised the Committee for handling it with dedication and told members to stay firm, saying the Commission’s duty under the constitution demands strict monitoring, openness and accountability in how the nation’s resources are managed.
Leading the session was the Chairman of the Investment Monitoring Committee and Federal Commissioner representing Anambra State, Dr. Ekene Enefe. He did not mince words when addressing NUPRC officials.
“We are going to give you 48 hours to dissolve that host community development trust,” he said.
He insisted that host communities should no longer suffer the environmental and social effects of oil exploration without getting real development in return.
Dr. Enefe also expressed displeasure over SEEPCO’s continued refusal to honour invitations to appear before the Committee. He warned that the Commission will not allow any oil company to dodge legitimate oversight.
On the matter of unpaid obligations, he said, “We are going to write them and we are going to give them an ultimatum to pay up what is owed the host communities.”
Earlier in the hearing, the NUPRC team, led by Mrs. Ufondu Ejiro, Director of Host Communities, gave their own account. She told the Committee that the Trust had been properly set up, registered and funded according to the law.
She said the regulator had received and reviewed documents covering community meetings, governance arrangements, funding plans and community development programmes. She also presented records showing money paid into the Trust.
However, the affected communities pushed back strongly against this account. Their lawyer, Mr. Peter Chukwudi, told the Committee that the communities do not know or accept many of the people NUPRC presented as their representatives.
He said proper consultation never happened before the Trust was formed. He also asked why there was so little visible development in the communities despite years of oil production in the area.
Prof. Charles Ofoegbu, Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources in Anambra State, called for closer teamwork between NUPRC and the state government. He said this would help confirm who truly represents the communities and track whether the law is being followed.
He also asked for more openness in how contributions and community projects are calculated and executed.
Other Federal Commissioners at the hearing raised similar concerns. They included Amb. Desmond Akawor (Rivers State), Hon. Abdulazeez Idris King (Kogi State) and Hon. Hauwa Umar Aliyu (Jigawa State).
They pointed to poor coordination between NUPRC and state governments. They also raised doubts over how community representatives are verified, and called on regulators to treat the concerns of host communities as seriously as those of oil companies.
Dr. Enefe assured all parties that every document and testimony submitted would be carefully reviewed. He promised that the Committee would continue its work until the full facts are established and recommendations made in the interest of both the Federation and the host communities.
