Stakeholders at the 5th National Extractives Dialogue (NED2026) have called for urgent government intervention in Bille Kingdom, Rivers State, following reports of gas seepages, water contamination, explosions and growing threats to the health and livelihoods of residents.
The stakeholders also demanded comprehensive identification, assessment and funding of environmental liabilities before petroleum assets are transferred to new owners, warning that divestment must not become a mechanism for shifting unresolved environmental obligations to host communities or the Nigerian government.
The resolutions were contained in the communiqué of the two-day dialogue held in Port Harcourt on September 29 and 30.
The event was convened by Spaces for Change (S4C) in partnership with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), with support from the Ford Foundation.
The dialogue, themed “Remediation Before Divestment and Energy Transition: Amplifying the Bille Environmental Crisis,” brought together representatives of the National Assembly, petroleum regulators, government ministries, host communities, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, academia, development partners and the media.
Participants described the situation in Bille as requiring immediate and evidence-based intervention following reports of prolonged gas leaks, strong odours, bubbling waterways, explosions, environmental degradation and declining fishing and farming activities.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, described the situation as a potential “ticking time-bomb”, warning that it posed serious public health and human rights concerns.
Representatives of women and youths from Bille told the gathering that residents were experiencing health complaints, including chest pains and skin irritation, which they attributed to the environmental situation.
They also reported declining agricultural yields, fishing and periwinkle harvesting, as well as water shortages and disruptions to education.
The community representatives expressed concerns over the ability of teachers and National Youth Service Corps members to work effectively in the area because of safety challenges.
They further alleged that some water sources had been contaminated, forcing residents to increasingly depend on sachet and bottled water for domestic use.
Stakeholders seek emergency medical support
Consequently, the dialogue called for emergency medical assistance, safe drinking water and relief materials for affected residents.
The stakeholders also urged the Rivers State Government to consider declaring Bille a disaster zone and work with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on possible evacuation measures where necessary.
They, however, acknowledged that technical investigations into the source and nature of the reported gas emissions were still ongoing.
NOSDRA disclosed that preliminary soil, water and air assessments indicated pollution in Bille, while air-quality tests conducted across nine locations detected significant air pollution.
The agency said further investigations, including gas fingerprinting and additional testing, were required to validate the preliminary findings and establish the characteristics and sources of the emissions.
The dialogue was informed that about 28 oil wells around Bille are operated by four different operators.
However, preliminary investigations reportedly indicated that the emissions were not linked to gas leaking from facilities managed by the operators.
Stakeholders therefore called for continuous air-quality monitoring and independent scientific verification of the reported pollution sources and their impacts.
They warned that the Bille crisis could have wider implications for the Niger Delta if its underlying causes were not properly established and addressed.
‘Environmental liabilities must follow assets’
A major resolution of the dialogue was that environmental responsibility must remain attached to petroleum assets even when operators exit.
The stakeholders demanded independently verified environmental audits covering abandoned wells, ageing infrastructure, decommissioning obligations, environmental liabilities and outstanding remediation requirements before divestments, mergers and licence renewals are approved.
They also called for greater transparency in the disclosure of decommissioning and abandonment obligations, remediation payments and Host Community Development Trust contributions by company and asset, subject to applicable legal requirements.
The participants noted that Section 103 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 provides for an Environmental Remediation Fund for environmental damage arising from upstream petroleum operations.
They, however, stressed that accessing the fund for Bille would depend on establishing a connection between the environmental damage and the relevant petroleum assets or activities of contributing operators.
NOSDRA also proposed the establishment of an Oil Spill Trust Fund and an Oil Spill and Associated Impact Liability Clearance Certificate as measures to strengthen environmental accountability.
According to the proposal, the clearance certificate would help identify outstanding environmental obligations before mergers, divestments and licence renewals, while the proposed trust fund could address funding gaps where responsible parties cannot readily be identified.
Stakeholders seek satellite monitoring
The stakeholders further called for stronger deployment of satellite surveillance, gas-leak detection, emissions monitoring and fingerprinting technologies.
They urged improved coordination among regulators, emergency agencies, operators, host communities and security agencies in responding to environmental emergencies.
They also demanded greater involvement of affected communities in environmental assessments, emergency response, remediation planning, monitoring, compensation and decisions concerning petroleum asset divestments.
Women, youths and other vulnerable groups, they said, should be adequately represented in such processes.
The dialogue recommended a coordinated Bille response framework involving government institutions, regulators, operators, health authorities, technical experts and community representatives.
It also called on NEITI, NOSDRA, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), environmental authorities, researchers, civil society organisations and communities to strengthen collaboration on investigation, emergency response, remediation and accountability.
The stakeholders maintained that Nigeria’s energy transition should not be measured solely by changes in ownership, production levels or energy sources, but also by how effectively inherited environmental liabilities are addressed and affected communities protected.
They warned that unresolved environmental obligations could undermine responsible investment while leaving host communities and the Nigerian state to bear the costs of decades of petroleum operations.
