
The Executive Director of CHHELD was live on the Power of Voices Partnership (PVP) radio program, with the State Support Officer Connected Development (CODE), Mr. Charles Uffort. The Power of Voices Partnership (PVP) radio program is part of activities in the project titled “Implenting a power of voice fair for all within six extractive states (Delta, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and F.C.T) focused on improving advocacy and accountability in the extractive sector” funded by the OXFAM and implemented by the Connected Development (CODE). The topic of discuss for the Power of Voices Partnership (PVP) Radio program was “How to demand accountability from Public sector”
The program started with Mr. Charles Uffort explaining how sensitive the topic demanding accountability from public sectors, he said it has to do with people from the grassroots. That demanding accountability has to do with Freedom of Information (FOI) of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) whereby you write a letter to seek information of money spent in your community, it has to with seeking information from the public sectors making them accountable for the money being giving to the community. He further explained that public actors in this concept refers to the local government chairman, the councilors, the oil companies in the communities etc. These public actors are there to serve the people and not to enrich themselves, so in essence they have to be accountable to the people and provide the information needed by the people and the communities themselves do not have to leave everything for the public actors, they also have to demand accountability of how the money in the community is being spent. He also emphasized on the PIA host community development board, that members of the community shouldn’t leave the responsibilities of setting up the board to the public actors alone but instead they should make sure as members of the community they are involved.

Mr. Dandyson Harry Dandyson talked about the host community developemt trust in the extractive sector, he explained that these are communities that are hit by environmental polluction, degradation and financial fraud by the development actors. He further explained that our local community suffer from financial fraud most times from government and oil companies. He said the PIA law has issues which is not fair to the community, for example the host community development trust board is to be set up by the settlors (i.e the oil company) although the members of the board are to be selected from the community but they will be selected by the settlors. He futher explained that the host community need to understand the new law (PIA) and know how to bargain with the oil companies. That there is no law that stands on its own, there are other laws they can use to get what they want from the company like the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to seek information from the company.
Mr. Dandyson Harry Dandyson highlighted the fact that the primary purpose of the Petroleum Industrial Act is to assist in any development deemed beneficial to the host community as may be determined by the board of trustees, members of the board are to invest part of the available funds for and on behalf of the host communities. This crucial role requires reliable and trustworthy people and for the community to pick out the right people to represent them, they need to speak in one voice. Before the PIA, the people of the community had no percentage of the oil company proceeds, but with the FOI Act backing the PIA they can now be directly involved, know what is taken out of their area and the proceeds they are entitled to every month and how it should be spent.
Mr. Charles Uffort encouraged community members to amplify issues and call for accountability from public actors by sharing pictures on www.ifollowthemoney.org and on social media posts and tag Connected development (CODE). Mr. Dandyson urged communities to have a community development handbook that every community member has accented to, so when the members of the board are selected they can use the handbook to direct their affairs as members of the host community development trust.
