By Oluwakemi Kindness
The National Civil Society Coalition on Oil, Gas and Mining Host Communities has called for a renewed social contract between government and resource-producing communities.
It is also calling for greater accountability, environmental justice, security, and inclusive development.
In a Democracy Day 2026 statement signed by its National Coordinator, Lawrence Dube, the coalition says many communities that sustain Nigeria’s economy through oil, gas, and mineral resources continue to face poverty, insecurity, environmental degradation, and social exclusion.
Reflecting on June 12, the group described the 1993 presidential election as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey, noting that many Nigerians still yearn for a democracy anchored on credible elections and genuine representation.
The coalition said host communities across the Niger Delta and other extractive regions remain underserved despite their significant contribution to national revenue.
It cited poor infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, limited educational opportunities, unemployment, and environmental pollution as major challenges confronting residents.
According to the group, democracy must go beyond periodic elections and translate into improved living standards, justice, accountability, and meaningful citizen participation.
The coalition also expressed concern over growing insecurity in many resource-producing communities, including kidnapping, cult violence, piracy, illegal resource exploitation, and communal conflicts.
It urged governments to address the root causes of violence through job creation, education, social protection, and responsive governance.
On environmental issues, the group called for stronger regulatory oversight, timely response to oil spills, effective clean-up of polluted environments, and increased investments in ecological restoration and climate resilience.
The coalition further advocated greater transparency and accountability in the management of revenues from Nigeria’s extractive sector, insisting that citizens have a right to know how public resources are generated, allocated, and utilized.
It also called for increased investments in youth empowerment, skills development, and job creation, while urging greater inclusion of women in governance and decision-making processes relating to natural resource management.
As the country prepares for the 2027 general elections, the coalition urged citizens in host communities to participate actively in the democratic process, reject vote-buying, and shun electoral violence.
The group maintained that communities producing Nigeria’s oil, gas, and mineral wealth deserve security, environmental justice, inclusion, and sustainable development, stressing that democracy must ultimately be measured by its impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.
