The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has called on stakeholders in the petroleum industry to ensure the prevention of oil spillages in Nigeria.
The Emir of Keffi, Dr Shehu Yamusa III, who is the Chairman, Governing Board, NOSDRA, made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting with oil companies in Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
Yamusa said that operators in the petroleum sector shared a common goal of ensuring an effective response to oil spills and sustainable management of the Nigerian environment for national development.
The Chairman was represented at the occasion by Mr Idris Musa, the Director-General, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
He added that the occurrence of oil spillage could be prevented through compliance with extant laws, regulations and guidelines on environmental management in the petroleum industry.
Yamusa, however, said that stakeholders would discuss action plans for the management of oil spills in 2023 with emphasis on reviewing regulatory procedures regarding oil spill reporting.
Others, he said, included the conduct of Joint Investigation Visits (JIV), Clean-Up and remediation of oil spill impacted sites, as well as the conduct of Post Spill Impact Assessment (PSIA), among others.
“The transparent conduct of these processes is very important, not just for the integrity and credibility of NOSDRA, but also for sustainable environment management, fair, just and amicable resolution of disputes that may arise therefrom.
“The vision statement of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency is to create, nurture and sustain a zero tolerance for oil spill incidents.
“This can only be achieved if players in the industry take measures to prevent oil spillages through compliance with extant laws, regulations and guidelines on environmental management in the petroleum industry,” he said.
In a remark, the Director-General, NOSDRA, Mr Idris Musa, said that oil spill management “is of paramount importance to the agency and other stakeholders in the oil sector.
“We are actually aware of the devastating impacts that oil spills have on ecosystems, wildlife, local economies, the well-being and livelihoods of host communities.
“It is a collective responsibility that we must shoulder together, as stakeholders representing various sectors to tackle this pressing issue head-on and work towards effective and efficient solutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Musa, while speaking to journalists at the event, said the agency had made impact in cleaning oil spills in oil producing areas through the Clean-Up and remediation of oil spill impacted sites.
“As as of today, I can tell you that NOSDRA as an agency, has certified about 40 cleaned up impacted sites in Ogoni land and there are almost about the same number in progress at different levels of operations.
“None is less than 50 per cent completed. In another few months, we will be recording about 70 to 80 per cent cleanup sites in Ogoni land,” he said.