Collaboration with Relevant Stakeholders NOSDRA is co-operating with the Federal Ministry of Transportation to implement the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention on Marine Pollution especially in the area of tanker accidents. The Agency has a standing agreement with relevant Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies for their prompt support in cases of Tier 3 oil spill response as well as surveillance. Working agreements are being explored with international organizations such as International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) etc as a formidable base in combating major spill incidents in Nigeria and its territorial waters. Oil Spill Compensation NOSDRA co-ordinated the work of the defunct Oil Spill Compensation Committee set up to enrich the Bills on Response, Compensation and Liability for Environmental Damage (RECLED) and Petroleum Products and Other Oil Related Activities Compensatory Relief Bills presently in the National Assembly. The aim was to bring up compensation rates that will be acceptable to all stakeholders. Other members of the Committee included representatives of the nine (9) Oil Producing States, Oil Producers’ Trade Section (OPTS), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Ministry of Justice, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC). The Sub-technical Committee in collaboration with Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OPTS) are collating inputs from relevant stakeholders in the oil producing areas to enable the determination of acceptable compensation rates for Nigeria. In view of its mandate on oil spill management as well as enforcement of environmental legislations in the petroleum sector, the Agency is forging ahead by appointing Consultants to prepare National Compensation Rates for oil impacted environments in Nigeria. This will form part of the tools that will operationalise the Response, Compensation and Liability for Environmental Damage Bill (RECLED) when it becomes an Act in Nigeria. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) The Federal Government of Nigeria in a bid to clean-up oil impacted sites in Ogoniland as part of its efforts to bring peace among Ogoni people and between the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Ogoni people through a Presidential Peace Initiative and Reconciliatory Process invited the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in August, 2006. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are jointly under-taking a project to assess the environmental impacts associated with the oil field operations in Ogoniland. The objective of the project is to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment covering all possible areas of impacts (soil/water contamination, public health impacts, impacts on agriculture and fisheries). The project will be executed in a manner to maximize returns to the Ogoni people by way of generating environmental baseline for better resource management, capacity building in local administration for better environmental management and finally improving environmental awareness in Ogoniland. The key stakeholders in the Ogoniland clean-up project are the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Rivers State Government, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A Memorandum of Understanding between Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development (FMEHUD) and UNEP on the Scope of the project was signed by the former Honourable Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Chief (Mrs.) Helen Esuene, in May, 2007. Oil for Development Initiative The Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development in November, 2006 began consultations with the Norwegian Government through its Embassy in Abuja. The objective of the Oil for Development Initiative is to assist developing countries with hydrocarbon potentials in their effort to benefit from petroleum resources in a way that generates economic growth and welfare to the population in general, and is environmentally sustainable. As at 2006, Norway has co-operated in this regard, with fifteen (15) countries, covering areas such as legal frameworks, administration and supervision mechanisms, licensing and tendering processes, local content and industrial development, environmental challenges as well as revenue management issues including taxation and petroleum funds. Possible elements of the programme of co-operation include, amongst others: • The overall legal and institutional set-up for environmental management of the oil and gas sector, including mandates and division of responsibilities between the different governmental agencies involved; • Environmental regulations in the theory and practice as well as the challenge of implementation of the regulations, and control and supervision of the oil industry; • Improving environmental monitoring by building on international best practice, with a particular focus on offshore environment; • Facing the challenges of oil spill management, including risk reduction management, precautionary work related to oil pipelines (Maintenance, pressure testing, flow metering and monitoring, environmental monitoring in the vicinity of the pipelines) oil spill containment strategies, and clean up operations as well as regulation and legislation related to accidental discharges; • Supporting the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development in its responsibility for attaining the 2008 target of elimination of gas flaring. Read more about the Norwegian Oil for Development Initiative