This edition of RemTracker spotlights key legislative actions addressing pressing environmental and economic challenges. With increasing concerns over waste pollution and the deteriorating state of oil and gas pipelines, the national assembly is moving to enforce stricter environmental regulations and rehabilitate critical energy infrastructure to safeguard public health, enhance economic stability, and improve energy security.
Tackling Nigeria’s Waste Pollution Crisis
The House of Representatives has urged the federal ministry of the environment, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to reinforce the enforcement of all environment-related laws and regulations across the country and strengthen their effectiveness.
It also mandated these agencies to implore states and local governments to closely collaborate with the federal government to ensure that oil companies and manufacturing industries, as well as small and medium-scale businesses, adopt cleaner and safer waste disposal methods to contain the outbreaks and spread of infections and communicable diseases.
The House further directed the committee on environment to conduct a wholesome survey on the extent of environmental pollution across and around major industries and their level of compliance with laws and regulations on pollution.
These resolutions were the outcome of a motion on Waste Pollution and the Management of its Impacts on Health and Environment sponsored by Rep. Julius Pondi (PDP, Delta). The motion highlights the difficulties faced by citizens in controlling and managing waste disposals and utilizing production effluents in the manufacturing industries, as well as the oil and gas sectors. He observed the recurring negative impacts that ineffective waste disposal practices have had on the health of citizens in communities and locations where oil and gas activities are conducted.
Despite the numerous laws and regulations on waste management across the country, there are still significant gaps in enforcement, leading to continued environmental degradation and public health risks.
Rep. Pondi lamented that the consequences of neglecting environmental protection could result in serious health challenges for citizens, in addition to the degeneration of the nation’s ecosystem, loss of agricultural productivity, and worsening environmental conditions, particularly in coastal regions.
Need to Revive Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Pipelines
Rep. Muhammed Bello Shehu (NNPP, Kano), deputy chairman, committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has sponsored a motion on the urgent need to rehabilitate the oil and gas pipeline networks across nigeria to avert economic loss for Nigeria.
This motion was sponsored alongside 14 other lawmakers including Rep. Ayuba Zaku Denpar (APC, Taraba), Rep. Ibe Okwara Osonwa (LP, Abia), Rep. Jimbo I. Clement (APC, Akwa-Ibom), Rep. Sekav Dzua lyortyom (APC, Benue), Rep. Olusola Fatoba (APC, Ekiti), Rep. Tukura Kabir (APC, Kebbi), Rep. Umaru Jeremiah (APC, Nasarrawa), Rep. Aguocha Obinna (LP, Abia), Rep. Kwamoti Bitrus Laori (PDP, Adamawa), Rep. Adamu I. Ganawa (APC, Bauchi), Rep. Midala U. Bilami (APC, Borno), Rep. Kusada A. Yahaya (APC, Katsina), Rep. Zacharia David (APC, Kogi), and Rep. Moshod Olanrewaju (APC, Lagos).
Nigeria’s oil and gas sector remains the backbone of the national economy, contributing approximately 9 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generating over 90 percent of export revenues.
The effective transportation of petroleum resources is dependent on the integrity of the country’s pipeline infrastructure. However, frequent pipeline vandalism and operational failures have jeopardized the sector’s stability.
Rep. Bello noted that between 2018 and 2023, Nigeria recorded over 7,000 incidents of pipeline vandalism, resulting in the loss of $12.74 million worth of crude oil. He also cited an October 2024 incident in which crude oil supply to Shell’s Forcados Terminal was reduced by 50 percent due to sabotage, causing loading delays and raising concerns over force majeure declarations.
In January 2025, a major pipeline spill from a Shell-owned facility in the Niger Delta led to severe environmental and economic hardships for host communities. Shell also reported an oil spill near Port Harcourt in February 2025 caused by an overflow during pipeline flushing operations, underscoring ongoing risks associated with pipeline management.
Rep. Bello stressed that the recurring damage to oil pipelines has led to widespread environmental destruction, loss of livelihoods, and significant revenue losses, exacerbating Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
He highlighted the Niger Delta’s prolonged suffering from oil spills, which have destroyed farmlands, polluted water sources, and deepened poverty. He warned that continued neglect of pipeline infrastructure not only threatens Nigeria’s energy security but also undermines the country’s potential for sustainable economic development.
In response, the House constituted an ad-hoc committee tasked with investigating the state of Nigeria’s oil and gas pipelines, including the causes and impacts of frequent vandalism and operational failures.
The committee will also assess the adequacy of existing security and maintenance measures in safeguarding national petroleum infrastructure, evaluate the effectiveness of past and present government interventions aimed at protecting pipelines, and engage stakeholders, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), National Security Agencies, oil companies, host communities, and civil society organizations, to recommend sustainable solutions.
The committee has been mandated to report its findings and recommendations to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.
Restoring the Ore Petroleum Depot
The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to prioritize the repair and rehabilitation of vandalized pipelines linking the Ore Depot in Ondo State to facilitate the resumption of operations at the facility.
Additionally, the committee on petroleum resources (midstream) has been mandated to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to assess the current state of the depot and expedite its restoration.
These resolutions were reached following the consideration of a motion sponsored by Rep. Ayodele Adefiranye (APC, Ondo) on the Need to revamp the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited/Nigerian Pipeline Storage Company Depot, Ore, Ondo State.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and its subsidiary, the Nigeria Pipelines Storage Company Depot in Ore, Ondo State, was commissioned in 1979 with a storage capacity of about twenty-two million liters. The depot plays a vital role in the distribution and storage of petroleum products across the country ensuring availability and price stability.
The Ore depot was established to serve as a key hub for petroleum pipeline distribution to the southwest region and parts of Edo, Kwara, and Kogi States, facilitating economic activities and reducing transportation costs for marketers and consumers.
Rep. Ayodele highlighted that the pipelines supplying and evacuating products to the depot have either been vandalized or left in disrepair for years, leading to disrupted fuel supply, increased petroleum costs, and undue hardships for consumers.
He emphasized that restoring the Ore depot would help minimize road accidents caused by tanker movements, reduce wear and tear on vehicles, lower fuel and diesel prices, and mitigate operational hazards.
He also noted that the continued neglect of the facility undermines the federal government’s economic diversification efforts, job creation initiatives, and the ease of doing business, particularly for small and medium-scale enterprises reliant on petroleum products.
He concluded that reviving the Ore depot would not only ensure the availability and affordability of petroleum products but also stimulate economic activities, generate employment, and enhance government revenue.
Stay tuned for the next episode of RemTracker as we continue to uncover important developments in Nigeria’s extractive industry.
