Energy
Gas Flaring: Stakeholders Urge Stronger Enforcement, Tracking
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.
Oil prices on Monday went south, after crude exports from the Middle East rose above pre-war levels, while the Group of Seven nations pledged to release 100 million barrels of crude and diesel from emergency reserves.
Brent crude futures fell by $1.20, or 1.17 percent, to $101.05 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude declined by $1.16, or 1.27 percent, to $89.95 per barrel, according to Reuters.
Middle Eastern crude exports exceeded pre-war levels on four of the seven days in the final week of September, shipping data showed, despite attacks on vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The increase in exports, combined with the G7’s planned release of emergency stocks, helped put downward pressure on crude prices.
The G7 countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency reserves and pledged to refrain from energy export restrictions following pressure from United States President Donald Trump.
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However, the scale of the additional supply remained uncertain.
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said last week that member countries had already released about two-thirds of the 400-million-barrel volume.
Meanwhile, supply concerns remained elevated as fighting continued across parts of the Middle East.
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer, Amin Nasser, also warned that crude oil and refined fuel supplies were expected to remain stretched.
He said rebuilding global stockpiles after emergency withdrawals could take two years.
The United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 283 million barrels last week, its lowest level since October 1982, according to data from the US Department of Energy.
The supply outlook was further complicated by the continuing conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
Yemeni government forces attacked Houthi positions in the Dhubab district overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Monday, according to two military sources.
The development came a day after the internationally recognised government launched a campaign to retake Houthi-held territory.
Meanwhile, OPEC+ postponed a review that would determine its 2027 oil output quotas after the war involving Iran disrupted projects aimed at expanding production capacity across the Middle East.
The Group of Seven (G7) has resolved to release up to 100 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products from strategic stocks.
An analyst at Argus Media, Sarah Raffoul, has expressed the view that this might mount pressure on European diesel prices in the short term.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, constitute the G7, though the European Union (EU) also participates in the group’s meetings.
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The G7 concerns itself with major global economic, energy, security and international issues.
According to Raffoul, the coordinated release, which includes a front-loaded diesel release, is likely to ease immediate supply concerns and weaken risk premiums as additional barrels become available during the early part of the winter season.
“The measure is likely to reduce prompt market tightness and weaken risk premiums as additional barrels become available during the early part of the winter season, although the final breakdown between crude and products has yet to be disclosed,” she said.
Raffoul added that the impact is expected to be felt mostly in October and November, when most of the released volumes are likely to reach the market.
She said the announcement also reduces concerns over export restrictions and includes commitments to maximise refinery utilisation, further improving confidence in near-term diesel availability.
However, Raffoul said the release does not fundamentally change the broader supply outlook because the additional barrels are being drawn from existing inventories rather than new production.
“The additional barrels are being drawn from existing inventories rather than new production, meaning the measure provides temporary relief rather than a lasting increase in supply,” she said.
She noted that several factors continue to support diesel fundamentals, including unplanned refinery outages in Asia, uncertainty surrounding Chinese export volumes and continued restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
“Europe also remains reliant on imports to balance its diesel market, leaving it exposed to disruptions in global trade flows,” Raffoul said.
She said the stock release is likely to cap further price increases and ease immediate supply concerns, but is unlikely to eliminate them entirely.
“OECD European diesel inventories remain relatively low by historical standards, while strengthening jet fuel markets have pushed the European jet-diesel regrade back into positive territory,” she said.
Raffoul added that the development suggests diesel values may need to strengthen relative to current levels to restore the normal relationship between the two products.
She said stronger refinery runs, Chinese export policy and sustained stock releases could leave the market more comfortably supplied than currently expected.
“On the other hand, further refinery disruptions, weaker exports, stronger winter demand or delays to inventory rebuilding could allow tightness to deepen once the effect of the stock release begins to fade,” she said.
Raffoul said the announcement points to softer European diesel prices in the near term, but noted that underlying fundamentals suggest any weakness is more likely to reflect a reduction in supply risk than a meaningful loosening of market balances.
Investment banker, development economist and former Imo State deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Nnaemeka Onyeka Obiaraeri, has described the 2026 Nigeria-US Solid Mineral Framework Agreement as structurally superior to Nigeria’s post-independence oil and gas joint-venture arrangements with international oil companies (IOCs).
Obiaraeri made the assertion in a post on X on Friday while comparing the newly signed minerals framework with Nigeria’s longstanding arrangements in the oil and gas sector.
According to him, the minerals agreement is different because of its emphasis on local value addition and processing.
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“The 2026 US-Nigeria Solid Mineral Framework Agreement is structurally superior to Nigeria’s post-independence Oil and Gas arrangements with International Oil Companies (IOCs),” Obiaraeri stated.
He argued that while oil joint ventures have primarily involved the extraction and export of crude oil, with limited domestic refining capacity historically, the new mining framework seeks to ensure that Nigeria does not remain merely a source of raw materials.
“The JV contract with the IOCs primarily involves the extraction and export of raw crude oil with minimal local refining capacity, whereas the new mining pact explicitly attempts to prevent Nigeria from remaining a mere source of raw materials,” he said.
Obiaraeri also said the framework comes with protection for the lives and participation rights of host communities.
He linked the issue to insecurity and illegal mining, alleging that indigenous communities have suffered deaths and hardship as a result of activities involving bandits and illegal mining networks.
“The Solid Mineral MOU also comes with protection of lives and participation rights of the host communities,” he said.
Recall that Nigeria and the United States signed a mineral investment framework in New York on September 24, 2026, aimed at attracting American investment into Nigeria’s estimated $700 billion mineral resources.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at Nigeria’s Mission House in New York.
The framework provides for cooperation in areas including geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure and technical capacity.
The Federal Government said the agreement is intended to promote a value-addition-driven mineral value chain and create greater opportunities for Nigerian businesses.
Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, meanwhile, has historically operated under several contractual arrangements involving the government and foreign oil companies, including joint ventures and production-sharing contracts.
Under the joint-venture model, NNPC Limited and IOC partners participate jointly in the development of petroleum assets according to their respective interests and the terms of the applicable agreements.
NNPC Limited, for instance, operates a joint venture with Chevron Nigeria Limited, with Chevron holding a 40 per cent interest and NNPC Limited holding the remaining 60 per cent in the relevant assets.
The partnership covers exploration and development activities in the Niger Delta.
Nigeria also uses production-sharing contracts for some petroleum developments, particularly in deepwater projects.
In August 2026, President Bola Tinubu approved a new deep-offshore investment framework intended to unlock up to $50 billion in investment, with NNPC Limited acting as the government’s nominated counterparty under the applicable production-sharing contracts.
Against this background, Obiaraeri said the new minerals framework provides an opportunity for Nigeria to adopt a different approach to its natural resources.
He argued that, rather than simply extracting and exporting resources, Nigeria should ensure that more processing, industrial activity and economic value remain within the country.
“I remain Nnaemeka Onyeka Obiaraeri,” he said, adding that he speaks “truth to power” and seeks to proffer solutions to national and subnational challenges.
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