The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has called on oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to accelerate the creation and execution of the Host Community Development Fund (HCDT) in their areas of operation.

During an official visit to OML-13, the operational hub of NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) and Natural Oilfield Services Limited (NOSL) in the Eastern Obolo local government area of Akwa Ibom State, Ekpo made this appeal on Thursday.

The Minister's visit allowed him and his team to conduct a direct evaluation of the oil and gas production facilities located at OML-13 in Eastern Obolo LGA.

He reminded the companies that the establishment of the HCDT aligns with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and expressed his approval of the strong relationships NEPL and NOSL have fostered with local communities, which have contributed to peaceful operations.

Additionally, he encouraged the company to extend power supply from the flow station to local communities to ensure they benefit from the company's positive contributions.

The Minister highlighted that the activities of NEPL and NOSL would significantly boost the nation’s gas production capacity and assured that the federal government is prepared to assist the company in meeting its production goals.

In response, the management of NEPL-NOSL reported that their production facilities have a capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil per day and 90 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with expectations to achieve full production capacity by the end of the year.

“We consider our host communities as critical partners, and we have given utmost attention to our community development projects (CDP). Our priority is to ensure our communities are positively impacted by being involved in our day-to-day operations.

“The company has executed several programmes and projects that have directly improved the lives and living standards of the host communities, with many more projects in the pipeline.

“We have carried out numerous community development projects, including medical outreaches, scholarship grants for students in higher institutions, the provision of medical equipment to hospitals, skills acquisition training programs, construction of boreholes, roads, and bridges, distribution of school furniture, laptops, electronic tablets, transformers, and more.

“The company is planning additional community development programs for the people.”, the management noted