Budgit Foundation deepens transparency sensitisation in Uyo community

Lucynda Clement 

A non-governmental organisation, Budgit Foundation has continued its transparency advocacy with a sensitisation programme to Akpayak village in Uyo local government area. 

The event took place in Akpayak village square on March 15, 2025, with participants numbering over  50, including youths, elders, women, individuals with disabilities, CSOs, and community leaders.

According to the State representative of Budgit Foundation, Mr. James Akpan, the sensitization exercise was to educate the community members on the Host Community Development Trust provided by the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) to prosper host communities; Exposing them to section 240 of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) which states that oil companies (settlors) shall pay 3% of their annual operating expenses into a Trust to be known as the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).

He explained further that the formula for the 3% usage was also spelled out to be 20% for investment for the host community, 75% for capital budget, and 5% for administrative expenses for the running of the board of trustees. 

Participants  were equally made to understand their roles as host communities, which are to make sure there is always a peaceful atmosphere and environment for the oil companies (settlors) working in their communities, making sure that pipelines and facilities within their communities are not destroyed, which can affect production. 

More so,  the role of the oil companies (settlors); which are; to carry out a needs assessment on what the communities need, which will become the community development plan. Make an annual contribution of 3% of their operating expenses to the trust which shall be the main funding for the trust. They were also enlightened about the roles of the government body in charge of regulating the activities of the oil companies in the communities, which is the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The second phase of the discussion was to educate participants about the budgetary process. This included discussing the steps involved, how to engage with locally elected leaders, and how to write and submit their community needs to these leaders. Additionally, attendees learned effective strategies for participating in local politics and tracking community projects to ensure they were executed properly.

The event attracted a diverse group of participants, including young people, women, elders, CSOs, community leaders, and individuals with disabilities. It was an interactive gathering where attendees could ask questions and receive answers. Participants were also introduced to technological tools, such as govspend.ng by BudgiT, which can help them hold their leaders accountable as well as the newly launched AI tool, chat with Bimi which helps with questions about the Nigerian budget.

The goal of the engagement was to sensitize and empower community members, make them understand the importance of HCDT, which is to change the lives of people in the oil-producing communities as it can help communities address developmental needs, and with the understanding of how the law works concerning host community development trust, the knowledge should be applied and used to hold oil companies accountable to the law. Which will now bring about the needed prosperity and sustainable development that the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) promised. Also to actively involve them in the operations of their local government. This involved educating them about the budgetary process and its various steps, teaching them how to engage with their elected leaders, and instructing them on how to effectively make demands and communicate with those leaders. Additionally, the program aimed to enhance their participation in local politics and provide tools for tracking community projects to ensure their proper execution.

The turnout at the event was impressive and encouraging, with many community members attending the sensitization meeting. They expressed their gratitude to Budgit Foundation for organizing the event which they gained a lot of knowledge.

Speaking on behalf of the Akpayak community, Pastor Lucky Williams, thanked Budgit for the valuable information and encouraged other members to spread the knowledge and information gotten from the engagement to bring about the needed development in the communities.