Oil theft through pipeline sabotage caused 98 per cent of oil spill in the oil and gas sector across the country since June this year till date, the Federal Government has said.
It also stated that the sector recorded 60 fatalities (deaths) and 62 injuries from 34 incidents between September 2021 and September this year.
The government disclosed this in a report by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, titled, “HSEC Practices in the Midstream and Downstream Sector: Past, Present, PIA Regulations, Guidelines and other Policies.”
The report, which was obtained by our correspondent from the authority in Abuja on Friday, stated that 82 oil spills in Nigeria occurred in Rivers State, while 75 were recorded in Bayelsa State.
Oil spill occurrences in Delta, Akwa Ibom and Imo states were 12, two and two, respectively, according to the NMDPRA report.
Speaking on the key mandates of HSEC (Health, Safety, Environment and Community) directorate of the NMDPRA, The Executive Director, HSEC, Mustapha Lamorde, said, “It is to regulate midstream and downstream petroleum operations including technical, operational and commercial.
“To promote healthy, safe, efficient and effective conduct of activities in the midstream and downstream petroleum operations.
“And to ensure that the midstream and downstream operations are carried out in an environmentally accepted and sustainable manner, as well as foster host communities’ development.”
The agency observed that the statutory provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 on HSEC administration clearly indicated that the Federal Government understood the importance of a healthy and environmentally conscious workforce.
Residents lament as another fresh crude spill hits Bayelsa community
It said the effective implementation of the HSEC would ensure a safe workplace for businesses to thrive in the oil and gas industry.
This, according to the NMDPRA, led to the creation of a directorate to manage the Health, Safety, Environment and Community matters in the mid and downstream value chain.
The Chief Executive of the authority, Farouk Ahmed, said the petroleum industry had been at the forefront of HSE innovations in the last few decades, often in response to the peculiar challenges that the industry faces.
He said the directorate, dedicated to HSE in the oil and gas industry, had over the years played a huge role in driving HSE innovation and awareness.
“I am aware that the erstwhile regulator of the oil and gas industry has over the decades collaborated with the industry in the institutionalisation of some programmes, especially HSE related,” Ahmed stated.
He added, “This is with the aim of progressing the cause of the industry and ensuring hitch-free implementation of such programmes, operations and processes.”
He noted that in the recent past, the regulator and the industry through the Quarterly HSE Managers Forum, exchanged ideas, thoughts and deliberated extensively on topical day-to-day operational and process-related HSE issues.
Ahmed said the deliberations yielded positive results as well as fostered the relationship between the industry and the regulator, specifically on HSE issues.
“It is therefore in this regard that the authority has decided to revive this forum to enable us to build on its past achievements,” he stated.
