A call has gone to the operators in Nigeria’s extractive sector to embrace strict governance principles to avert gas production coming at heavy human and environmental costs and consequences.

Stakeholders raised concerns over methane emissions and gas flaring in the Niger Delta, on Tuesday during a webinar titled “Leveraging Media Storytelling to Strengthen Accountability and Enforcement on Methane Emissions.”

The event was put together as part of an advocacy campaign to amplify Flaring Lives, a documentary that exposes the human cost of methane emissions in Nigeria’s oil-producing communities.

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The documentary, co-produced by Policy Alert and We The People, with support from the Natural Resource Governance Institute, chronicles the environmental, health and socio-economic impacts of decades of gas flaring and methane emissions on residents of the Niger Delta.

During the virtual event, the Country Manager of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Tengi George-Ikoli, said Nigeria currently faces the challenge of balancing its gas expansion agenda with its commitments to reduce methane emissions and eliminate routine gas flaring.

According to her, while methane is often discussed as a climate issue, communities living close to oil and gas facilities experience its effects daily through poor air quality, health challenges, environmental degradation and declining livelihoods.

She said, “Nigeria is currently pursuing two ambitions at the same time. On one hand, we are seeking to expand gas production and position gas as a key part of our economic and energy future. On the other, we have made significant commitments to reduce methane emissions, eliminate routine gas flaring, and contribute to global climate goals.

“The challenge is whether these ambitions can be delivered together, and at what cost if they are not.

“For communities living near oil and gas facilities, methane is not an abstract climate issue. It is connected to the air they breathe, the health risks they face, the quality of their farmland and fishing waters, and their everyday experience of living alongside extraction activities.”

George-Ikoli further noted that methane emissions have increasingly become an economic concern as international markets tighten environmental requirements for oil and gas producers.

She explained that major export destinations, particularly in Europe, are beginning to assess not only the volume of energy products supplied but also the environmental conditions under which they are produced.

“The stakes extend beyond local communities. Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases driving near-term warming. It is also becoming an economic issue.

“New international regulations, including emerging methane requirements in major export markets such as the European Union, mean that countries and companies will increasingly be judged not only by what they produce, but by how they produce it,” she stated.

While acknowledging progress made by the Federal Government and industry players through new methane regulations, reporting requirements and improved emissions disclosures, she stressed that policy commitments alone would not solve the problem.

“Progress on paper is not the same as progress in practice. The real test lies in implementation. Are commitments being met? Are emissions being measured accurately? Are regulations being enforced consistently? And most importantly, are the experiences of affected communities reflected in the decisions being made?” she asked.

The NRGI official outlined several measures needed to ensure Nigeria successfully aligns its gas development strategy with methane reduction targets.

She said, “First, enforcement must become stronger and more consistent. Regulations only matter if there are consequences for non-compliance.

“Second, the sector needs a credible and unified approach to measuring methane emissions. You cannot effectively reduce what you cannot accurately measure. A common baseline and robust measurement standards are essential for tracking progress and building trust in reported figures.

“Third, companies should be required not only to disclose their methane emissions, but to actively manage and reduce them. Transparency is important, but disclosure must ultimately lead to action.

“Fourth, initiatives such as the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme have an important role to play and should be accelerated. Every cubic foot of gas captured and put to productive use is gas that is not wasted through flaring.

“Fifth, stronger monitoring, reporting and verification systems are needed across the entire oil and gas value chain. Independent verification and effective oversight are critical if emissions reductions are to be credible.”

She emphasised that the success of methane reduction efforts should not be measured solely by emissions data but by improvements in the quality of life of host communities.

“Community well-being must remain at the centre of decision-making. The success of any methane reduction strategy should not be measured only by tonnes of emissions avoided, but also by whether it improves the lives of the people most directly affected,” she added.

George-Ikoli described Flaring Lives as an attempt to humanise a debate often dominated by statistics and policy targets.

According to her, “The documentary seeks to bring forward voices that are often missing from conversations about energy, development and climate policy.

“Our hope is that it serves not only as a film, but as a resource for journalists, advocates, researchers and citizens seeking to understand what these issues mean in human terms.”

In the same vein, Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, said communities in the Niger Delta have endured the burden of gas flaring for more than six decades, with devastating consequences for public health, agriculture and fisheries.

He said the documentary was designed to provoke reflection and drive accountability among government agencies and industry operators.

“For over six decades, the flames of gas flaring have lit up the night skies of the Niger Delta, a daily reminder of the huge burden borne by oil-producing communities.

“Flaring Lives is not just a documentary; it is a tool for introspection and accountability because behind every flare stack are communities battling respiratory illnesses, contaminated farmlands, vanishing fish stocks and a climate that grows more hostile by the year.

“This is the human cost we are here to talk about today, and it is one Nigeria can no longer afford to wish away,” Bolton-Akpan stated.

He lamented that gas flaring, venting and fugitive methane emissions had long been regarded as unavoidable consequences of oil production, while affected communities continued to bear the environmental and health impacts.

“For decades, gas flaring, venting and fugitive emissions have been treated as an acceptable cost of doing business, while the communities living in their shadow are treated as collateral. That view must change.

“Every day that we allow emissions from these sources to continue unchecked is a day stolen from the health, the environment and the future of these communities.

“The conversation can no longer be about whether this harm is happening; it is about why it is still allowed to happen,” he said.

Bolton-Akpan also challenged journalists and media organisations to intensify investigative reporting on methane emissions and gas flaring, saying the media has a crucial role in exposing environmental abuses and holding both regulators and operators accountable.

“We are calling on media editors and journalists in this room to be more than witnesses; be amplifiers of truth.

“Carry these stories beyond this webinar. Investigate the emission numbers and give voice to the communities whose lungs and livelihoods are the true cost of every cubic metre of gas burned into our atmosphere.

“Policy Alert, alongside our partners, the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Extractives 360 and others, will not relent in pushing for transparency, enforcement and justice,” he added.

Nigeria remains one of the world’s major gas-flaring countries despite years of government commitments to end the practice. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is recognised as one of the most potent greenhouse gases because of its significant warming effect over a short period.

The Federal Government has introduced a series of measures, including methane regulations and the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme, aimed at reducing routine flaring, improving gas utilisation and supporting the country’s energy transition goals.

However, civil society groups and environmental advocates have repeatedly argued that weak enforcement, inadequate monitoring and poor accountability mechanisms continue to undermine progress, particularly in oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta, where residents bear the environmental and health consequences of emissions from oil and gas operations.