By George Ozalla with Ndudirim Silvia Iloka
Calls for stronger inclusion of Nigeria’s oil-producing regions in the ownership and participation structure of the oil and gas industry gained renewed momentum on Monday, April 20, 2026, in Abuja, as stakeholders pushed for reforms in upstream petroleum governance and access to strategic assets.
The position was made at a world press briefing held at Jasmine Suites, Central Business District, Abuja, where Niger Delta youth groups, policy stakeholders, industry actors and select members of the media gathered ahead of a national conference scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2026, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The Convener of the Nigerian Local Content Conference (NLCC) and the Africa Commodities Conference and Exhibition (ACCE), Michael Akueche, who is also the founder of Mica Equity Allocation Limited, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that oil-producing communities and youths are deliberately included in future oil block licensing rounds and marginal field allocations.
Akueche said the persistent agitation in the Niger Delta is tied to the technical and structural exclusion of host communities from participation in ownership and decision-making within the oil and gas value chain. He said the issue goes beyond revenue sharing to access and equity in upstream opportunities.
He referenced the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) licensing round advertised on December 1, 2025, which opened 50 oil blocks for competitive bidding, noting that while international investors are actively positioning for the assets, indigenous communities in producing regions remain largely unorganized for structured participation.
He described this as a recurring gap in Nigeria’s extractive governance framework, where communities bearing the impact of extraction are often excluded from the commercial and technical structures that define ownership.
Akueche also cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which shows that about 63 percent of Nigerians, representing about 133 million people, are living in multidimensional poverty, adding that oil-producing states are not exempt from this reality.
He said the engagement is anchored on social justice and economic prosperity for all, drawing reference from Psalm 82:2–4.
He further noted that similar exclusion patterns exist in the solid minerals sector, where local professionals, engineers, geologists and artisanal miners remain outside structured ownership frameworks despite operating in resource-rich areas.
Akueche proposed a framework for broad-based participation, stating that seeding a 20 percent equity allocation to Nigerians across states in every bid for the 50 oil blocks would open up access and deepen local ownership. He said the initiative, under Mica Equity Allocation, is designed to organize households, youths, women and cooperative groups into structured platforms, including limited liability companies and cooperatives, to participate in the equity window alongside bidding firms.
He said the model is expected to mobilize participation from millions of Nigerians across different segments, including youths and cooperative groups, as part of efforts to democratize access to strategic national assets.
He argued that broader ownership of such assets would help tackle poverty, create jobs and expand indigenous participation in critical sectors of the economy. He added that integrating host communities in the South-South, Niger Delta and other producing areas into ownership structures would address long-standing grievances tied to exclusion.
Akueche said organizing these communities into cooperative and investment platforms would promote stability in the region by giving them a direct stake in the assets. He noted that such inclusion would help reduce tensions and encourage more constructive engagement between multinational operators and host communities.
He also commended the reduction in signature bonus requirements for oil block bids, stating that lower entry barriers would enable indigenous investors to compete more effectively with established international players.
Akueche urged the Federal Government to adopt deliberate policies that integrate oil-producing youths into technical bidding processes, consortium arrangements and equity participation in oil block licensing and marginal field development, noting that such steps would strengthen national cohesion and reduce tensions in producing regions.
Akueche also outlined further proposals aimed at deepening inclusion in the ongoing 50 oil blocks licensing round advertised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), calling for structured 20 percent equity participation for Nigerians across states in every bid for the blocks. He also advocated for the award of oil blocks to oil-producing states and host communities as a means of addressing long-standing concerns around exclusion and resource ownership.
He further called for the expansion and formalization of cooperatives, business names, partnerships and limited liability companies to enable broader participation of Nigerians in both the oil and gas and solid minerals sectors, noting that structured aggregation remains key to unlocking entry for larger segments of the population into extractive industry opportunities.
The briefing reflected on Akueche’s ongoing institutional work through Mica Equity Allocation Limited and its platforms, NLCC and ACCE, which he said were established to deepen participation of Nigerians in the extractive and commodities value chain.
During a question-and-answer session, one of the stakeholders at the press briefing, Chukwudi George Ozalla, Managing Director of Zalchukz Multi Concerns Limited, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of NEWSCOUNT and a participant in the engagement, responded to a question on whether youths from oil-producing regions have the technical capacity to participate in oil block ownership and operations.
Ozalla said technical partnerships remain a practical pathway for inclusion, adding that capacity gaps should not be used as a basis for exclusion. He noted that award processes in the extractive sector can also involve broader considerations, making structured collaboration essential.
He said what is critical is the ability to build partnerships that allow knowledge transfer and progressive participation over time.
The session drew participants from Niger Delta youth groups and stakeholders in the extractive and media space, who engaged on issues of inclusion, resource governance and regional participation.
Attention now shifts to the national conference scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2026, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, organised by Mica Equity Allocation Limited in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. The conference is expected to bring together policymakers, technical experts and industry practitioners to examine pathways for expanding participation in Nigeria’s extractive industries.
Discussions will focus on empowering mineral processing engineers, geologists, mining engineers, health, safety and environmental professionals, as well as artisanal and small to medium-scale miners, alongside an exhibition showcasing investment and technical opportunities across the sector.
