An oil and gas watchdog, the Niger Delta Accountability and Resource Protection Network (NDARPN), has refuted claims by the House of Representatives Committee on the South South Development Commission alleging that Nigeria’s failure to implement key Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) funds has deprived the region of over ₦1 trillion.
In a statement issued on Friday in Port Harcourt, the group’s president, Comrade Ebikabo West, described the committee’s assertions as “sensational, misleading and potentially damaging to the investment stabilisation the PIA has steadily cultivated”.
West said the PIA’s implementation by the respective regulatory bodies, particularly in the management of host community development funds and environmental obligations, has been impactful and more transparent than any pre-PIA framework.
He warned lawmakers against political statements that could “erode investor confidence or disrupt the delicate progress achieved so far”.
“It is simply inaccurate to suggest that the Niger Delta has been denied trillions because the funds are not being operated in the dramatic fashion being portrayed,” West said.
“The host communities development provisions of the PIA are being effectively and rigorously monitored. The regulatory framework now ensures that communities benefit directly, with clear oversight and traceability.”
According to him, the PIA created enforceable obligations that regulators now track with far stronger compliance mechanisms than existed before.
He added that the narrative of “non-implementation” ignores verifiable progress across host communities and environmental management.
“We must be careful not to weaponise environmental concerns or misrepresent regulatory processes. Such portrayals undermine the credibility of reforms and weaken the collective fight for environmental justice,” West warned.
He also emphasised that Nigeria is steadily rebuilding the confidence of multinational oil companies that exited the country due to years of regulatory instability, conflicting directives and institutional pressure that once “strangled investment”.
“After decades of uncertainty, Nigeria now has a stable legislative and fiscal environment. It is only wise to allow the relevant agencies to carry out their mandates strictly within the dictates of the PIA. Any attempt to drag them into political theatrics will jeopardise the gradual return of investor confidence,” the group added.
NDARPN said the National Assembly’s oversight role is important, but must be evidence-based and not driven by assumptions capable of creating confusion or tension in the sector.
“What the Niger Delta needs is consolidation, not disruption. Let the institutions empowered by the PIA continue their work without undue pressure. That is the surest path to accountability, environmental protection and sustainable development,” West advised.
