Eleven oil-bearing communities in Bayelsa State under the KEFFESO Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) have witnessed a marked increase in development projects following improved funding under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Stakeholders say the PIA-backed funding framework has accelerated projects across infrastructure, education, healthcare, water supply, youth empowerment, and human capital development, helping to address long-standing grievances over neglect in the oil-producing communities.

The communities, located in Brass and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas, are beneficiaries of the Trust established by First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Ltd (First E&P), operator of the Anyala PML 53 & 54 oilfields in a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. The KEFFESO cluster comprises Koluama 1, Koluama 2, Ezetu 1, Ezetu 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, Sangana, Opu-Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, and Oginibiri.

Chairman of the KEFFESO HCDT Board of Trustees, King Moses Theophilus, described the transformation as revolutionary for many residents, noting that the Trust has significantly changed the development landscape across the communities. He said ongoing projects are improving access to education, healthcare, welfare services, infrastructure, and economic opportunities, representing a clear departure from what the communities previously experienced.

Theophilus recalled that before the Trust's establishment, the communities battled severe environmental challenges, including coastal erosion, sea encroachment, and perennial flooding, which regularly destroyed homes, livelihoods, and public infrastructure. Limited access to potable water, unemployment, and inadequate skills development had also fuelled frustration among young people.

He said the Trust, supported by First E&P and its joint venture partner NNPC Ltd, introduced a more structured, transparent, and community-driven approach to development. Under the PIA, oil companies are required to contribute three per cent of their annual operating expenditure to host community development trusts to fund projects identified by the communities themselves. KEFFESO is among 155 such trusts incorporated nationwide under the Act.

Officials said the new funding model provides significantly more resources than the previous Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) arrangement, allowing for larger and more sustainable projects. Each HCDT is required to prepare a five-year Community Development Plan in consultation with host communities to ensure continuity and strategic implementation.

In education, qualified teachers from the host communities have been recruited and deployed to address manpower shortages, while government-employed teachers now receive monthly incentives to improve retention and attendance. School administrators say the intervention has improved learning outcomes through increased teacher availability.

Healthcare delivery has also improved through annual medical outreach programmes organised in collaboration with First E&P and NNPC Ltd, bringing services closer to residents who previously had to travel long distances, often by water, to access care.

The Trust is also constructing concrete walkways in several communities while completing legacy road projects initiated under the former GMoU framework, aimed at improving mobility, safety, and local economic activity. Access to potable water is being expanded through new supply schemes designed to reduce reliance on hand-dug wells often contaminated by saltwater and floodwater.

Officials say the overall goal is to build resilient communities through improved education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunity, while ensuring development priorities remain determined and managed by the host communities themselves.

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