Get Guardian on GoogleEnvironmental advocacy group, Spaces for Change (S4C), has urged President Bola Tinubu to assent to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, following its passage by the Senate.
The group’s Executive Director, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, made the call in Lagos, describing the bill as a step towards tougher sanctions for oil pollution and stronger enforcement by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
The amendment introduces criminal liability and higher financial penalties for environmental offences, seeking to deter oil spills and hold operators accountable.
Ibezim-Ohaeri said weak penalties had failed to deter violations, leaving oil-producing communities, particularly in the Niger Delta, to bear the cost of polluted water, destroyed farmlands and damaged fishing livelihoods.
She said effective enforcement required NOSDRA to investigate spills independently, identify responsible operators and compel them to meet their environmental obligations.
S4C, however, warned that tougher sanctions would achieve little without adequate funding and operational independence for the agency.
At the fifth National Extractive Dialogue (NED 2026), organised by S4C in partnership with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and NOSDRA in Port Harcourt on September 29 and 30, participants examined weaknesses in pollution investigations and the settlement of outstanding liabilities in the petroleum sector.
A major concern was NOSDRA’s reliance on oil and gas companies for logistics, facilities and other resources during investigations.
The group said such dependence could compromise investigations, restrict access to evidence and undermine public confidence in regulatory findings. “Where a regulator depends on a company whose operations or assets are under scrutiny, questions can arise about independence, credibility and public confidence in the investigation,” Ibezim-Ohaeri said.
Ibezim-Ohaeri urged the Federal Government to provide NOSDRA with predictable funding, independent laboratory facilities, monitoring and sampling equipment, trained investigators and reliable transport.
She also called for transparent procedures for collecting, analysing and reporting evidence.
Ibezim-Ohaeri said environmental enforcement should not depend on the goodwill or resources of companies under investigation.
