Protocol
The Representative of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),
The Chairman and Members of the Board of Trustees of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust,
Traditional Rulers,
Community Leaders,
Representatives of our Host Communities,
The Delta State Government
Our Joint Venture Partners,
All other protocols duly observed
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning.
Today is more than an inauguration.
Today is the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Energia and our host communities.
It is a chapter built on partnership rather than patronage.
A chapter built on shared responsibility rather than dependency.
A chapter built on transparency, accountability and sustainable development.
For Energia, this is not merely a statutory obligation arising from the Petroleum Industry Act. It is a reaffirmation of a philosophy that has guided our operations for many years that communities that host our operations should also share meaningfully in the opportunities created by those operations.
That belief existed long before the Petroleum Industry Act came into force in 2021. The PIA simply gave it a stronger legal framework and a more structured pathway for implementation through the establishment of the Host Community Development Trusts. The Act seeks to ensure that host communities become genuine partners in development by creating transparent governance structures and dedicating annual funding for sustainable projects.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Energia’s story has always been closely connected to the story of our host communities.
Since achieving First Oil in 2009, we have grown into one of Nigeria’s respected indigenous upstream energy companies.
But every milestone we have achieved has been made possible because our communities have provided us with the social environment within which our people can work, our facilities can operate, and our investments can flourish.
We have therefore always believed that business success and community prosperity must grow together.
This philosophy explains why, even before the establishment of the HCDT, Energia consistently invested in roads, education, healthcare, scholarships, youth programmes, community welfare, security support and other social investments across our operational communities through the Community Trust Fund. Dedicating 3% of our gross revenue to support sustainable development initiatives that will create lasting value for our host communities.
Indeed, I am pleased to state that since inception, Energia has invested over NGN 15.94 billion in community development initiatives.
That figure represents much more than expenditure.
It represents classrooms built.
Roads constructed.
Drainage systems completed.
Streetlights illuminating communities.
Scholarships awarded.
Healthcare supported.
Livelihoods improved.
And, perhaps most importantly, relationships strengthened.
These investments demonstrate that our commitment to community development has never been transactional.
It has always been intentional.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The journey to today’s inauguration has not been without challenges.
As many of us know, establishing the Ndokwa West-1 HCDT required patience, perseverance and a commitment to dialogue.
We navigated complex issues relating to community boundaries, land ownership, benefit-sharing arrangements and legal processes.
These challenges tested all stakeholders.
But they also demonstrated something very important.
They demonstrated that dialogue remains stronger than division.
Throughout this process, Energia remained committed to engagement.
We worked with traditional institutions, community leaders, government agencies and regulators.
We participated in extensive consultations.
We supported mediation efforts.
We respected judicial processes.
We remained guided by fairness, transparency and the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act.
The successful resolution of these issues reminds us that sustainable peace is not achieved by avoiding difficult conversations.
It is achieved by having them with sincerity, patience and mutual respect.
I wish to commend every community leader, government institution and regulatory agency that contributed to bringing us to this important milestone.
Your commitment has made today’s event possible.
Distinguished Guests,
The Board of Trustees being inaugurated today carries a significant responsibility.
You are becoming custodians of hope.
The decisions you make will influence generations.
The resources entrusted to you belong not to individuals but to entire communities; young and old, present and future.
The true measure of your success will therefore not be how much money passes through the Trust.
Rather, it will be the lives transformed by the prudent management of those resources.
The HCDT should never become another administrative institution.
It should become a development institution.
A catalyst for lasting progress.
A model of accountability.
An example of what collaboration between industry and communities can achieve.
The Petroleum Industry Act has already provided the governance framework.
Your responsibility is to bring that framework to life through integrity, professionalism and transparency.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The opportunities before us are enormous.
The Trust provides an opportunity to move beyond isolated projects towards long-term development planning.
Rather than focusing only on today’s needs, we now have the opportunity to prepare our communities for tomorrow.
Imagine communities where children receive quality education.
Where healthcare facilities are adequately equipped.
Where roads improve access to markets.
Where clean water becomes a basic reality.
Where young people acquire skills that create employment.
Where women entrepreneurs receive meaningful support.
Where agriculture is modernised.
Where digital technology creates new opportunities for enterprise.
Where community development is measured not merely by projects commissioned but by lives improved.
That is the future this Trust should pursue.
And that future will require planning.
It will require discipline.
It will require transparency.
Most importantly, it will require unity.
One lesson from successful community development around the world is that sustainable progress cannot be achieved through fragmented efforts.
It requires communities to work together around shared priorities.
It requires leaders who think beyond individual interests.
It requires institutions that outlive personalities.
The Board of Trustees has the opportunity to build such an institution.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
The foundation for this work has already been laid.
Following incorporation of the Ndokwa West-1 HCDT and the completion of key regulatory milestones, Energia worked closely with stakeholders to establish governance structures, conclude benefit-sharing arrangements and prepare the Trust for operationalisation.
In addition, significant community development projects have already been executed across our host communities.
Road construction projects.
Drainage infrastructure.
Solar-powered street lighting.
Healthcare infrastructure.
Educational support.
Community welfare programmes.
Scholarship schemes.
These are visible reminders that development is not merely promised, it is delivered.
However, today’s inauguration represents a transition.
Going forward, community development will increasingly be driven through the governance mechanisms established under the HCDT.
This is an important evolution.
It introduces greater transparency.
Greater accountability.
Greater community ownership.
And better long-term planning.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As an indigenous Nigerian company, Energia understands that our licence to operate extends beyond government approvals.
It also depends upon maintaining the trust and confidence of our host communities.
This social licence is earned daily.
It is earned through listening.
Through honouring commitments.
Through responsible operations.
Through environmental stewardship.
Through open communication.
And through genuine partnership.
We therefore reaffirm today that Energia will continue to work constructively with the Board of Trustees, the Management Committee, the Advisory Committee, our traditional institutions and every host community to ensure the success of this Trust.
Our commitment remains steadfast
We will continue to support transparent governance.
We will continue to encourage accountability.
We will continue to promote dialogue.
We will continue to pursue peaceful coexistence.
Because when communities thrive, businesses thrive.
When communities prosper, investments become sustainable.
When communities have confidence in institutions, stability becomes possible.
That is the future we seek together.
Permit me also to speak directly to the young people gathered here today.
The future of these communities belongs to you.
The greatest legacy this Trust can create is not simply infrastructure.
Its greatest legacy should be people.
Young people equipped with education.
With technical skills.
With entrepreneurial capacity.
With innovation.
With opportunities to compete in Nigeria and globally.
I encourage you to see yourselves not merely as beneficiaries of this Trust, but as future custodians of its vision.
Similarly, I acknowledge the invaluable role of women in community development.
Across our communities, women have consistently served as builders of families, champions of education, promoters of peace and drivers of enterprise.
The HCDT should continue to create opportunities that strengthen women’s economic participation and leadership.
Development is most sustainable when everyone is included.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Every generation is presented with defining moments.
I believe this inauguration is one of those moments.
Years from now, people will not remember the speeches delivered today.
They will remember the decisions taken after today.
They will remember whether this Trust became another institution or whether it became a transformative force.
They will remember whether roads were built.
Whether schools improved.
Whether healthcare became more accessible.
Whether young people found opportunities.
Whether communities became more prosperous.
Whether peace endured.
Those are the outcomes that matter.
Those are the outcomes history will judge.
As we inaugurate this Board of Trustees today, let us therefore make a collective commitment.
A commitment to transparency over secrecy.
A commitment to dialogue over conflict.
A commitment to development over division.
A commitment to future generations over immediate interests.
And above all, a commitment to partnership.
Because partnership remains the strongest foundation for sustainable development.
On behalf of the Board and Management of Energia Limited, I congratulate every member of the Board of Trustees.
We thank our host communities for their continued cooperation.
We appreciate the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for its guidance and regulatory oversight.
We acknowledge our government partners, our Joint Venture partners, our traditional institutions and every stakeholder who has contributed to making today possible.
Together, let us write a new chapter of shared prosperity.
Together, let us demonstrate that the Petroleum Industry Act can become a powerful instrument for inclusive development.
Together, let us build communities that future generations will be proud to inherit.
May today’s inauguration mark the beginning of lasting peace, enduring partnership and sustainable development across the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust.
Thank you.
God bless our host communities.
God bless Delta State.
And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
