By Owho Warri
The Isoko Communities Under the Delta State host communities in OML26 have raised alarm over non-payment of the 3% settlors yearly operating expenditure (OPEX) that is set aside for community development through Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
The group made this declaration in a statement issued and signed by Erere Okpako and Angela Akpofa respectively and made available to Newsmen, clearly stated, while outlining some of the issues, urged the government and other authorities concerned to intervene to avoid break down of law and order.
The statement noted that,having waited patiently for the Asset Management Team and Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Company, working with the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) to operationalise the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) without any meaningful result, they have no other option as they are prepared to take their destinies in their hands.
"Chapter 3 of the PIA is very clear about the responsibility of the Settlor to the host communities.
It is expected that three percent of the settlors yearly Operating Expenditure (OPEX) is set aside for community development through the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT)".
But, to their astonishment the settlor only made a paltry remittance to the HCDT of OML 26 contrary to the PIA., which was made in October 2025, two years after inauguration of the HCDT, while the remittance was short paid with about #2.4billion.
"The Board of Trustees (BOT) raised an alarm of the short payments by drawing the settlor's attention to the shortfall in November 2025 but the company didn’t respond until December 22, 2025 when a virtual meeting held without any resolution despite the assurance of the company that it would respond within two weeks".
A petition to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) followed in January 2026 which now hosted a tripartite meeting of NEPL, the HCDT BOT at the NUPRC Abuja office on April 15, 2026 where the operator categorically said the shortfall was allegedly spent on Special Intervention Projects contrary to the PIA 2021 and the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) before the advent of the PIA.
Although, the PIA allows for a one year transition, that one year post PIA elapsed in August 2022.
"But we as the stakeholders under the Isoko Grassroots Mobilizers are worried that the company Asset Management Team (AMT) led by Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Company is playing games and we can no longer accept this."
"Before the Abuja meeting, we were aware of the Security Meeting on the 9 April 2026 with the Council Chairman of the Isoko North, Hon. Godwin Ogoruba where it was resolved that the BOT should endeavor to nip in the bud any attempt to block the roads to the oil installations, but that too yielded no results".
While emphasizing on some attempt made so far without any cogent response, the group stated that, without mindingthe implications of a blockade, resolved that they can no longer wait endlessly for developments that are not forthcoming.
"These communities have lived without electricity and other amenities for ages,whereas the funds were meant for projects development in OML 26 as stipulated by the Petroleum Industry Act(PIA)".
The Isoko Grassroots Mobilizers have been monitoring the activities of the Asset Management Team and Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy in OML 26 and note with sadness the lukewarm response to the underdevelopment of the communities.
A strange development not known to the PIA was introduced by the company where it said the funds deducted from 2023 to 2025 were adjusted OPEX but this is strange to the law thus creating the impression that the company was playing games with the 3 percent OPEX as stipulated in PIA thus starving the communities the necessary funds for development.
The HCDT is handicapped in every material particularly, in the absence of the funds
for projects development.
It is expected that the tripartite meeting held on the April, 15, 2026 hosted by NUPRC with Nigeria Exploration and Production Limited(NEPL), the Asset Management Team, Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Company and representatives of the board of OML 26 Host Communities Development Trust(HCDT) in attendance may resolve the dispute but that meeting ended without any concrete resolution.
NUPRC only directed NEPL to revert to them in two week's time with detailed documented evidence of special intervention projects executed with that shortfall.
We of the Isoko Grassroot Mobilizers are not happy with this recent claim of the Assets Management team and Sterling Global Oil Exploration and Energy Company of the alleged Special Intervention Projects.
By this statement we call on NUPRC to prevail on Asset management Team and Sterling Global oil to do the right thing by remitting the shortfall payment to the HCDT without fail.
It is on record that OML 26 is lagging behind in terms of infrastructural development in the Niger Delta.
Our findings have confirmed that no single project has been executed since the PIA took off in OML 26, since February 13, 2024 when the BOT was inaugurated.
We therefore call on relevant government agencies to prevail on the Asset management Team and Sterling Global Oil to resolve the issue and pay all the outstanding monies to avert shutdown of their operations in OML 26.
Oil exploration should ordinarily bring development to host communities but from the antics of Sterling Global, the Assets Management team and NEPL, oil exploration is almost turning to a curse to the host communities. But as critical stakeholders, we are ready to mobilise all our people to end this injustice once and fall all. We say no to economic oppression and sabotage. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.