The House of Representatives has begun legislative consideration of a proposed amendment to the law governing Nigeria’s oil spill response agency, with provisions for tougher sanctions, including imprisonment, for environmental violations.
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was transmitted to the House after receiving approval from the Senate.
A source in the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly confirmed that the bill had been forwarded to the lower chamber for concurrence. The House has subsequently passed it through first reading, marking the beginning of its consideration.
The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen the enforcement powers of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency and increase penalties for oil pollution offences.
The Senate had approved the amendment after considering a report from its Committee on Environment, which raised concerns that existing sanctions were insufficient to discourage oil companies and other operators from violating environmental regulations.
During the debate, the committee chairman, Olubiyi Fadeyi, presented the report in support of the proposed changes.
The Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, who represents Borno North, also called attention to the impact of recurring oil spills on communities in the Niger Delta.
He said pollution had damaged farmland and waterways, affecting residents whose livelihoods depend largely on fishing and agriculture.
Monguno maintained that the existing fines did not adequately discourage environmental violations and argued that offenders should face criminal liability where oil spills cause significant damage to communities and their means of livelihood.
“The fines are not deterrent enough to deter offenders,” he said.
Following the debate, senators considered the bill clause by clause at the Committee of the Whole and approved all 12 clauses. It was subsequently read for a third time and passed.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the Committee on Environment and said the proposed changes would give NOSDRA additional enforcement powers.
Oil spills have continued to pose environmental and economic challenges in the Niger Delta, with contamination affecting land and water resources and disrupting farming and fishing activities.
The bill must secure the House of Representatives’ concurrence before it can proceed to the President for assent and become law.
