February 21, 2025
In a bid to curb the insistent crude oil spillage in the Niger Delta region and other oil-producing areas across Nigeria, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with F1 Consulting in Abuja.
The agreement is aimed at strengthening oil spill response and training NOSDRA personnel to enhance the agency’s effectiveness in mitigating environmental pollution in oil-producing communities.
NOSDRA’s Director-General, Mr. Chukwuemeka Woke, who spoke at the signing, emphasized the agency’s dedication to fulfilling its mandate and expressed optimism that the collaboration would yield significant results in protecting communities affected by oil spills in the Niger Delta region.
“With the establishment and signing of this MoU, we believe this will go a long way in solving the problem of pollution and oil spillages in our various communities.”
Woke, called on oil companies and stakeholders to support the agency’s efforts and ensure prompt reporting of spills instead of withholding crucial information.
For his part, the Lead Consultant of F1 Consulting, Mr. Jude Ndubisi, noted that the partnership seeks to institutionalise Nigeria’s national oil spill contingency plan to aline with world best practices
“The national spill contingencies plan is the primary document that talks about spill response strategies as a country.
“This document for a very long time has not been institutionalized down to the host communities.
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“So, we are trying to build a partnership and synergy with NOSDRA to bring the provisions of the national spill contingency plan down to the communities where the oil installations exist.”
Ndubisi, further stressed the need for collaboration between oil license holders, government agencies and local communities to enhance environmental preservation.
Describing the MoU as apt, NOSDRA’s Director of Legal services, Mrs. Katherine George, said in was line with agency’s core mandate of ensuring zero tolerance for oil spillage and devastation of the environment.
“We believe this MoU will accomplish NOSDRA’s goals and mission of achieving zero oil spillage in the country,” she said.
Oil spills have remained a major environmental challenge confronting Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta, where frequent leakages from pipelines and oil installations have led to severe pollution affecting the ecosystems and the locals livelihoods.
According to data from the Oil Spill Monitor, a satellite tracker of NOSDRA. Nigeria recorded over 589 oil spills in 2024 alone, the spills are caused by either oil theft or dilapidated and old unserviced oil installations.
