Stakeholders renew call for decommissioning of abandoned oil wells in Niger Delta

Stakeholders from the Niger Delta, including environmental professionals, activists, academia, traditional rulers, women, youths, among others, have called on oil giants and governments to prioritise the decommissioning of old and abandoned oil wells littered across the region, as those sites pose environmental risk.

They also decried the style of divestment of oil multinational companies without proper remediation and environmental audit, stressing that global best practice and Nigeria’s regulations require safe decommissioning and remediation of oil wells at the end of their productive life.

They wondered why oil companies operating in the Niger Delta always shun these responsibilities.

 Arising from the 5th Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence (NDAC), tagged: ‘Decommissioning and Accountability’ which was convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in collaboration with frontline Civil Society Organisations, CSOs in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; the stakeholders raised concerns about the growing risks posed by these abandoned, non-decommissioned, and aging oil and gas infrastructure, describing them as ticking time bombs against environmental safety, groundwater integrity, biodiversity, climate resilience, and community livelihoods.

The Convergence noted in dismay that the abandoned and inactive oil wells across the Niger Delta have continued to leak hydrocarbons, pollute ecosystems, and endanger communities decades after operations ceased, citing the cases of abandoned wells in Otuabagi in Bayelsa State and the 2007 eruption of the SPDC Ibibio-1 well at Ikot Ada Udo in Ikot Abasi LGA of Akwa Ibom State.

“That oil well blowouts and fires, including the Ororo-1 well in Ondo State, which has burned since 2020, and the Alakiri wellhead fire in Rivers State, have been ongoing since 2024. The persistent failure of both operators and regulators to take responsibility or implement urgent remedial action is disturbing, they said.

In a communique raised at the end of the meeting, the Stakeholders stated: “that every abandoned, leaking, and un-decommissioned oil well in the Niger Delta must be treated as a crime scene, given the continuing threats they pose to lives, livelihoods, ecosystems, and public health.

“There should be an immediate and transparent audit of all oil wells and petroleum infrastructure in the Niger Delta, alongside the urgent decommissioning, remediation, and ecological restoration of abandoned and unsafe facilities, with state governments leading accountability efforts and the Federal Government enforcing compliance.

“That while we acknowledge landmark reports including the Willinks Commission, NDES, UNEP, and BSOEC reports, the Convergence insists that the future of the Niger Delta must no longer be defined by exploitation and ecological sacrifice, but by justice, restoration, environmental integrity, and development shaped by the aspirations and rights of the peoples of the region.

“An end to reckless extractive practices and short-term economic interests that continue to undermine environmental sustainability and community livelihoods.

“Immediate identification, audit, and public disclosure of all abandoned oil and gas wells and facilities across the Niger Delta region. We want immediate cleanup, remediation, restoration, and reparations of polluted environments and ecosystems affected by oil extraction and abandoned facilities.”

The Convergence also called for an amendment to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), alongside stricter enforcement of provisions relating to environmental responsibility, decommissioning obligations, corporate accountability, as well as a transparent and legally enforceable framework regulating oil company divestment, ensuring that liabilities are not transferred to communities or the Nigerian state.

While calling for publication in the annual NEITI oil and gas reports, the payments, and management of decommissioning and abandonment funds made by all oil and gas companies, the Stakeholders called on the federal government to make public specific details of divestment deals, especially the liabilities inherited by domestic companies

They also urged communities and civil society to prioritize strategic litigation and avoid the pitfalls associated with weak litigation.