A Nigerian school situated in the Obagi oil-producing community hosting TotalEnergies oil facilities has witnessed an infrastructural transformation in a bid to improve a conducive academic environment of learning for the school children. This laudable gesture is just one out of the 536 community projects being handled simultaneously through the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
In line with the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has facilitated the delivery of over 10 life-changing projects and the flag-off of more than 10 others under the Obagi Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) in Rivers State, operated by TotalEnergies.
According to the NUPRC, the HCDT Trust fund, which has risen to N373bn as of October 13, 2025, is a trust fund that mandates oil companies to deposit 3% of their operating expenditures of the preceding financial year into a trust fund, which will be housed in a bank with a BBB rating.
Section 235 of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Act of 2021 mandates settlors (oil companies) to incorporate Host Community Development Trust for the benefit of host communities where they operate.
While the NUPRC does not have direct access to the funds, it monitors the fund through a dashboard known as HostComply. The Commission also monitors the implementation of the fund as mandated by the extant laws.
