The Federal Government has admitted that successive governments in the country allowed the issue of land degradation in the Niger Delta continue due to the absence of a cohesive policy, inefficient coordination among stakeholders and inadequate resources to address the situation.
The government urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and other stakeholders to improve on environmental regulatory framework and use of cleaner technologies for sustainable future.
Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, stated this at the Maiden Environmental Performance Award for the oil and gas sector organised by NOSDRA in collaboration with the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) in Abuja.
The minister said the country had faced significant challenges and limitations in managing and responding to oil spills resulting in consequential land degradation.
He said: “Nigeria is faced with a fragmented regulatory framework, inadequate preparedness and response, limited community engagement, negative environmental and health impacts, adverse economic consequences, among others.
“Since the establishment of NOSDRA, it has been working in the area of spill preparedness, response, cleanup and remediation among others.
“Over the years, NOSDRA has remained unwavering in delivering on its mandate, responding to thousands of major and minor oil spills, ensuring that impacted communities are adequately compensated and remediated. Non-complying oil operators are taken to court to enforce compliance.”
Salako identified effective environmental regulatory mechanism in the petroleum industry as essential for sustainable resource management, climate change mitigation, economic efficiency and accountability.
The minister said that such mechanism was also crucial for building public trust for operational social licencing, legal and international compliance.
He said that oil and gas was unarguably the world’s most vital but also most environmentally disruptive industry.
Salako, however, stressed the need for effective regulation of the sector to ensure that the benefits of oil and gas production were balanced.
“Also, there is the need to protect the environment, maintain public health and contribute to national development on a sustainable manner,’’ he said.
He added that environmental performance award serves as a multi-faceted tool aimed at driving change, promoting sustainability and acknowledging those that lead by example.
According to him, the award also addresses historical environmental goals, enhances community relations, boosts innovations and offers reputational requirement and investment.
Director-General, NOSDRA, Idris Musa, said that the awards were a testament to stakeholders’ collective commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation and pursuit of excellence within the oil and gas industry.
Some of the awardees were TotalEnergy, Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Shell Petroleum Development Company and Agip Oil while Akwa-Ibom received the best environmental-friendly state award.
He said that the award was to recognise the organisations with the best environmental performance for 2022 and 2023.
Musa said that the performance award was conceived to highlight and reward those that have taken bold steps to address environmental challenges.
“It is to showcase the significant progress we can achieve when we commit to responsible practices. This initiative also reflects our understanding of the path to sustainability and the need to work together.
“It requires collaboration among industry operators, regulatory bodies, local communities and international partners,” he said
Musa said that by sharing best practices and leveraging new technologies, among others, the nation could drive the transformative change needed to secure a sustainable future for the oil and gas industry.
He said that NOSDRA plays a crucial role in safeguarding the environment from the potential devastations arising from the operations of the oil and gas industry.
Musa explained that 73 companies were assessed from 2022 to 2023 based on performance variables, which included submission of incident reporting forms.
Country Director of SDN, Florence IbokAbasi, said the organisation’s collaboration with NOSDRA was to encourage improved environmental performance in the oil and gas sector.
She advocated innovation and technical initiatives that would result in reduced oil spills and gas flaring in the industry.
IbokAbasi identified some of the challenges in the industry as oil theft, sabotage and insecurity.
She said SDN was collaborating with relevant stakeholders including government agencies and communities to ensure improved pollution reporting and a safer environment.
Chairman/Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria/Mid-Africa Business Unit, Jim Swartz, a recipient of the award, said the organisation has been marked by continuous improvement, innovations and collaboration.
