Cleaning-up Niger-Delta oil spills ’ll boost national revenue

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) has called for the establishment of a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund to address the long-standing environmental degradation in the region caused by oil exploration. The founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, who made the call at a media […]

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) has called for the establishment of a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund to address the long-standing environmental degradation in the region caused by oil exploration.

The founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, who made the call at a media conference in Abuja, said the measure is part of initiatives that would boost the nation’s oils revenue.

He also formally presented a policy brief and advocacy report on the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta.

He said that the proposal is aimed at tackling the widespread pollution that has devastated the region’s environment and livelihoods over decades of unchecked oil extraction, thus a disservice to the nation.

“It is recommended that the Presidency issue an Executive Order establishing a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund. This could operate either independently or be domiciled within the existing Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), which currently oversees the cleanup of Ogoniland.

“However, it should be supported by a separate trust fund from the Ogoni Trust Fund, an expanded Governing Council, and a credible management system designed to avoid the inconsistencies that have historically hindered HYPREP and the questionable progress of the Ogoni Clean-Up,” Igbuzor said.

He said that the mandate of the programme should also include a comprehensive health audit, in addition to the standard environmental audit of affected areas.

Highlighting the urgency of action, Igbuzor described the Niger Delta as a region of rich biodiversity and major economic significance to Nigeria, now facing extensive ecological damage.

He said, “For instance, between 2018 and 2019, there were 1,300 recorded oil spills, an average of five spills per day, according to the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency. Reliable estimates suggest that an average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger Delta each year.

“This equates to over 14 million litres of crude oil, or the equivalent of 429 fully loaded oil tankers, dumped into the rivers, land, and swamps of the region. Just 3.7 litres of oil is enough to contaminate approximately 3.7 million litres of water.

“Another dangerous consequence of crude oil extraction in the region is gas flaring; a practice that is both economically wasteful and environmentally damaging.”

He noted that restoring the Niger Delta must begin with a strategic and inclusive effort encompassing social, economic, and environmental recovery and also the acceleration of the Ogoni Clean-Up and justice for environmental and social injustices in the area.

He said that Centre LSD is advocating against the resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland until adequate remediation is carried out, and that action must be extended to pollution across the entire Niger Delta.

Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Centre LSD, Mr. Monday Osasah, said that a comprehensive clean-up of the Niger Delta amid worsening environmental conditions and health crises cannot be over emphasized.

Osasah said that the Coalition for a Cleaned Niger Delta (CCND) was launched in April 2024 under the leadership of Nnimmo Bassey, to intensify advocacy for environmental remediation.

“The current advocacy initiative, titled ‘Advocacy for the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta and the Revamp of the Ecosystem’, builds on the momentum of the coalition’s work,” Osasah said.

He urged the federal government, oil firms, and relevant stakeholders to commit to a transparent and holistic remediation process, guided by the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

He lamented the lack of progress, noting, “Although the UNEP report on Ogoniland released in 2011 provided a clear roadmap for cleaning up oil-polluted areas, little progress has been made over a decade later in restoring the environment and livelihoods of the people of the Niger Delta.”