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NOSDRA, NUPRC Under Fire Over Bayelsa Oil Spill JIV Report
More condemnations have continued to trail the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV)report of the Oil Mining Lease (OML)29 Santa Barbara South Field Well 01 blowout in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State released by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission(NUPRC).
This is as more groups have described it as a hatchet job executed to favour AITEO to short-change the people of Bayelsa.
The Vice President of the Ijaw National Congress (Central Zone), Chief Nengi James said NOSDRA and NUPRC were toothless regulatory agencies doing the bidding of oil companies.
James, who doubles as the chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Bayelsa State and coordinator of Association of Rural Chiefs for Peace and Development, said NOSDRA and NUPRC should be ashamed of the JIV report it presented.
According to him NOSDRA, which was grossly underfunded, has no capacity to investigate any oil spill in the Niger Delta region.
He disclosed that during his tenure as chairman of the Oil and Gas Committee in Nembe, he had refused to append his signature to many JIVs because of the compromising attitude of NOSDRA.
“I want to challenge NOSDRA to show the world the helicopter and the speed boat its officials used to carry out the JIV. NOSDRA is underfunded, it does not have the capacity to investigate oil spills. The logistics and everything it used was given to it by AITEO. The boats used belonged to AITEO, so how can they now produce a report against AITEO. The report is not acceptable. I have refused to sign many JIV in the past because of the way NOSDRA allowed itself to be compromised,” he said.
The Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of The Earth (ERA/ FoEN), Mr Chima Williams dismissed the JIV report as unfounded.
According to him, what NOSDRA and NUPRC have just demonstrated is what civil society groups monitoring activities in the oil industry would call regulatory capture.
He demanded for an independent forensic investigation, noting that ERA/FoEN have the capacity to get the truth.
“That the report released by NOSDRA and NUPRC is unfounded. It has no empirical evidence. The wing wave value and other accessories were removed before the regulatory agencies got to the site. So, the question is who removed them. It is common for oil companies to say sabotage. The regulatory authorities are absolutely wrong over this.
“Even before the JIV was conducted AITEO and its workers have said it was sabotage. The day I went there with other civil society groups we were not allowed to assess the place that was what the workers said, so even before JIV they had concluded that it was sabotage.
“Without any scientific proof, they are saying that what AITEO said was true. This is what we said about regulatory capture. Whatever the regulatory agencies says is their business, nobody would believe them. How would anybody remove one side of the wing wave and leave the other side.
“There is a need for an independent investigation. ERA has done it before and we can still do it. All that we need is the cooperation of the Bayelsa State Government whose people are suffering from the pollution and the damages caused by the oil spill.”
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The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has directed his lawyers to withdraw all ongoing defamation lawsuits against several individuals, saying he was moved by counsel during a New Year Mass.
Speaking at the Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, yesterday, Akpabio said he had filed nearly nine lawsuits against individuals he accused of defaming him.
He said, “I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name.
“But I listened to the priest and suddenly realised he was talking to me, so I hereby direct my solicitor to withdraw all lawsuits against them.”
In 2025, Akpabio had filed several high-profile defamation lawsuits, including one against colleague Senator Natasha Akpoti?Uduaghan.
In late 2025, Akpabio filed a N200 billion defamation lawsuit against her over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied and urged her to substantiate in court.
Earlier in the year, Akpabio’s wife also filed defamation suits against Akpoti?Uduaghan over claims she said had harmed her family’s reputation.
Relations between the two lawmakers soured after Akpoti?Uduaghan accused Akpabio of influencing her suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following her public allegations of misconduct.
The Senator had previously challenged actions taken against her in court, including a N100 billion defamation suit she filed against Akpabio and other defendants over alleged remarks that she said damaged her reputation.
With yesterday’s announcement, Akpabio has formally ended all pending legal disputes arising from defamation claims, signalling closure to the publicised litigations as the year begins.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the best form of gratitude Rivers people owe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting the interest of the State is to galvanize massive support for the President in 2027.
Fubara disclosed this last Monday during the commissioning of Permanent Secretaries Quarters built by his administration at Elimgbu in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of the State.
He said that the State has what it takes to deliver the President during the 2027 general elections.
“We’ve taken a decision,our decision is for the good of Rivers State, our decision is to say thank you for the protection we have from Mr President, our decision is to prove that we have what it takes to deliver Mr President.”
Fubara expressed delight over the completion of the project, stating that the initiative was to provide accommodation, a basic need of life for public servants in the state to improve their productivity.
He explained that lack of effective social welfare was at the root of some incriminating actions that undermine the purpose of governance, noting that the commissioning of the newly built Permanent Secretaries Quarters marks a significant milestone in civil service welfare and institutional development.
“Insecurity begins when individuals are uncertain of what the next hour holds. This situation is especially challenging for family men and women, affecting confidence and decision-making,” he observed.
Fubara emphasized the need for proper maintenance of the facility and urged the beneficiaries to protect the project like a personal property, while directing the State Head of Service to appoint a facility manager to ensure long-term maintenance.
In her remarks, the Special Guest of Honour and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who unveiled the project, expressed appreciation to the governor and Rivers State for inviting her to commission the project.
She commended Fubara for prioritizing the welfare of Permanent Secretaries who are senior public servants and accounting officers, noting that the project reflects purposeful and visionary leadership, and urged other states to borrow a cue from the Rivers State Governor.
Walson-Jack described the initiative as a strategic investment in staff welfare and institutional continuity which she noted is in line with Renewed Hope Initiative on provision of mass housing and social stability.
“The commissioning of these houses reflect a deliberate commitment to the dignity, welfare, and productivity of senior public servants responsible for policy coordination and service delivery,” she said.
In his goodwill message, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibode Bashiru, who led a high powered delegation on a visit to the governor, congratulated Rivers people for aligning with the Pan Nigerian political party, assuring that the interest of Rivers State will be duly protected in the APC.
He described President Bola Tinubu as a detribalised Nigerian who anchors his leadership on equity, fairness and justice, adding that the APC will provide a level playing ground for all.
The APC chief scribe also commended Fubara for providing good accommodation for public servants, stating that it will address issues of sabotage, compromise and disloyalty on the part of public servants.
Giving the project description, Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Works, Dr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, said the estate comprises 29 units, including nine standalone duplexes and 20 terrace buildings.
Facilities feature a water treatment plant, synchronized power generators, CCTV and alarm systems, a gym, recreational areas, and green spaces—designed to enhance comfort, performance, and productivity.
Earlier, the Head of the Rivers State Civil Service, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown, had thanked the governor for his visionary initiative and unwavering commitment to the welfare of Rivers State Civil Servants, and restated the commitment of the State civil servants to the success of Fubara’s administration.
By: Taneh Beemene