Oil companies and other operators responsible for environmental pollution may face tougher sanctions, including imprisonment, as the House of Representatives begins consideration of a bill seeking to strengthen penalties for oil spill violations.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the Senate passed the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) Establishment Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and transmitted it to the House for concurrence.
A source in the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly confirmed that the bill had been received by the House, which has already passed it for first reading.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the existing 2006 NOSDRA Act by strengthening the agency’s enforcement powers and introducing stiffer penalties for oil pollution offences.
The Senate approved the bill after adopting the report of its Committee on Environment, amid concerns that existing sanctions had failed to deter oil companies and other operators from violating environmental regulations.
Presenting the committee’s report, its chairman, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, supported the proposed amendments, while the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, drew attention to the devastating impact of oil spills on communities in the Niger Delta.
Monguno said persistent oil pollution had contaminated the environment, destroyed livelihoods and affected residents who depend largely on farming and fishing.
He argued that the existing fines were too weak to discourage offenders, insisting that operators responsible for spills that damage the environment and deprive communities of their means of livelihood should face criminal liability.
“The fines are not deterrent enough to deter offenders,” he told the Senate.
The lawmakers subsequently dissolved into the Committee of the Whole, where they considered the bill clause by clause and approved all 12 clauses, including the short title, explanatory memorandum and long title.
The Senate later resumed plenary, passed the bill for third reading and approved it.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the Committee on Environment for its work and congratulated NOSDRA on the additional enforcement powers envisaged under the proposed law.
Oil pollution remains a major environmental challenge in the Niger Delta, where repeated spills have contaminated farmlands and waterways, threatening agriculture, fishing and other economic activities.
The proposed amendment is expected to strengthen NOSDRA’s ability to enforce environmental standards and hold operators accountable for oil spill incidents.
However, the bill must secure the concurrence of the House of Representatives before being forwarded to the President for assent.
