The
Niger Delta area of Nigeria is presently the hub of oil exploration
and production in Nigeria. The exploration and production,
as well as storage and transportation of oil in the Niger Delta
have negative impacts on the fragile ecosystem of the area, notwithstanding
its revenue generation.
The Obasanjo Administration, in a bid to check this adverse impact
of oil and other human and natural activities on the environment,
upgraded the defunct Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA)
to Federal Ministry of Environment in 1999. The Ministry
swang into action immediately by inaugurating a National Action
Co-ordinating Committee of the Forum for Cleaning the Niger Delta.
Membership of the Committee comprised all relevant Government
Ministries, Agencies, Oil companies, the Academia, and Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs). The Committee had four (4) sub-committees
namely:-
The sub-committee on Oil Spill Response considered
and finally reviewed in year 2000 the National Oil Spill Contingency
Plan (NOSCP) which was drafted in 1981 and first reviewed in
1997. The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan itself,
is mandatory for all parties to the International Convention
on Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response Co-operation (OPRC
90) to which Nigeria is a signatory. The National Oil
Spill Contingency Plan is a blueprint/manual for checking oil
spill through, containment, recovery, and remediation/restoration.
It is a proactive strategy for preventing loss of lives, assets
and natural resources.
The Federal Government established the National
Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency as an institutional
framework to implement the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
Dr. B. A. Ajakaiye was appointed by Mr. President as
the Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of the Agency
to fastrack the proper establishment of the Agency.
Click here to view the
National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment
Act), 2006
Click here to view the National
Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) (currently
under review)
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