• PANDEF demands 50% derivation
• Says coastal highway completion non-negotiable

The Senate has passed a bill seeking to empower the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to impose stiffer fines and introduce criminal penalties for environmental violations in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

The proposed amendment aims to strengthen enforcement against oil spills and pollution, particularly in the Niger Delta and other oil-producing communities, where environmental damage has affected livelihoods.

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 was passed after lawmakers considered and adopted the Senate Committee on Environment’s report at plenary.

Presenting the report on behalf of the committee chairman, Olubiyi Fadeyi Oluwole, the Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, said the existing penalties were inadequate to deter environmental offenders.

Monguno, who represents Borno North Senatorial District, said oil spills and pollution continued to damage ecosystems and threaten the livelihoods of residents who depend largely on fishing and farming.

MEANWHILE, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has demanded an increase in the derivation allocation to oil-producing states from the current minimum of 13 per cent to 50 per cent, citing decades of environmental degradation and developmental challenges in the Niger Delta.

The organisation also declared the accelerated completion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway non-negotiable, urging the Federal Government to deliver the project alongside the rehabilitation of the East-West Road and other dilapidated roads across the region.

These demands were contained in a communiqué read by PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, yesterday, following a meeting of the organisation’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee held in Abuja.

The meeting was attended by the BoT Chairman, former Akwa Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah, Igali and other political leaders, traditional rulers and stakeholders from the six South-South states.

PANDEF said the minimum 13 per cent derivation allocation provided under Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution had remained unchanged for more than two decades despite the environmental damage and economic hardship confronting oil-producing communities.

It called on the Federal Government, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Assembly to initiate measures to raise the allocation to at least 50 per cent.

The forum also demanded the abolition of the onshore/offshore dichotomy in revenue allocation, arguing that offshore oil and gas operations could damage marine ecosystems and fishing grounds on which coastal communities depend.

It urged the National Assembly, the Federal Government and RMAFC to pursue the necessary legislative and constitutional changes.