International oil companies (IOCs) operating in the Niger Delta have been urged to fully implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in their host communities to address long-standing grievances and promote sustainable development.
The call was made by Ikiba-ye-Emine Tiyeinabeso, Technical Assistant to Senator Sunday Benson Agadaga, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil, Mineral and Gas Host Communities, in a statement issued on Thursday.
Tiyeinabeso said the PIA represents a major shift from past practices in which oil-producing communities were marginalised and neglected by operating companies.
“The Petroleum Industry Act stands as a watershed reform designed to correct decades of systemic exclusion, weak community agreements, and poor transparency that historically fueled agitation and instability in Nigeria’s oil-producing regions,” he said.
He urged IOCs to move beyond what he described as token compliance and to fully integrate Field Development Plans across both greenfield and brownfield operations, including within engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) as well as operations and maintenance contracts.
Tiyeinabeso also commended Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC), formerly Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, for what he described as a structured and inclusive approach to host community engagement.
According to him, RAEC’s model represents a clear departure from the limitations of the former Global Memorandum of Understanding framework.
He stressed that the PIA formally recognises host communities as key stakeholders in the oil and gas value chain and, when fully implemented, can serve as an effective tool for peace-building, trust-building and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.