Fg Blamed For Gas Flaring

Federal government’s lack of political will to enforce relevant laws on gas flaring is said to be responsible for the unending gas-flare in the country.

This was the position of Dr Precious Ede of the Institute of Geosciences, and space technology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology while presenting a paper titled, “Ending Gas Flaring in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects at the just concluded Port Harcourt International Oil and Gas  (PHIOG) Conference and Exhibition in Port Harcourt recently.

The doctor of Geosciences disagreed with the present approach of the federal government saying “we need to weigh the oil revenue that will fall against the impact on the environment which cannot be quantified”.

According to him, “The Vulnerability of the people of the Niger Delta to the continuous flaring of gas over the decades by the multinational oil companies reveals, yet again, the federal government’s lack of political will to enforce relevant laws on the issue”.

He was of the opinion that the approach should be a drastic one reasoning that even if it means stopping oil production it should be stopped.

He quoted Shell as saying the obvious when it stated in a bulletin that the only way to end gas flaring in flare-sites without Associated Gas Gathering equipment would be to stop oil production. Ede pointed out that such decision cannot be made by oil companies without direct support from other Joint Venture partners including the government-owned majority partner, National Petroleum Company (NNPC).  It would be recalled that the last House of Representatives perfected the legislative frame work for gas flaring pegging the deadline at December 31, 2012 and stiff penalties on oil firms that would flout the regulations.

This was sequel to the adoption of report of the committee on Gas Resources on a Bill for an Act to Amend the Associated Gas Re-injection Act No. 99 of 1979 Cap. A25, laws of the federation of Nigeria. It was reported that a source at the newly inaugurated House of Representative said the eight House does not have any intention to extend the deadline.

“But there is no substitute for legislation because we now know the extent to which flaring hurts the environment and as economic waste. Only legislation will correct the weak contracts under which the joint venture relationships emerged.

Vivian-Peace Nwinaene