The House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) have expressed concerns over the slow implementation and gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). During a forum in Port Harcourt, PIND's Executive Director, Tunji Idowu, emphasized the need for communities to focus on sustainable development rather than unproductive projects, urging collaboration among stakeholders to address identified gaps in the law.
Idowu pointed out issues like undefined roles among stakeholders, lack of grievance mechanisms, and unclear community boundaries, stressing the importance of building capacity and establishing clear trust management guidelines for effective project implementation. He warned that without these, the PIA's benefits might not reach the intended communities.
Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Dumnamene Dekor, echoed these concerns, calling for greater commitment from stakeholders to educate communities on the PIA’s provisions. He urged host communities to set aside differences and utilize the PIA to drive development, noting that compliance with the law was mandatory, not a favor from companies.
Ford Foundation's Programme Manager for Natural Resources and Climate Change highlighted the importance of ensuring that communities impacted by oil, gas, and mining activities benefit from these processes. He emphasized the need for the PIA's provisions to move beyond paper to actual implementation, in line with the foundation's commitment to reducing inequalities in resource extraction.
