Civil society groups demand methane crackdown ahead of 2027 elections

Civil society organisations working on environmental accountability and extractive industry governance have called on the Nigerian government to strengthen enforcement of methane regulations, improve access to emissions data and address environmental damage in oil-producing communities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The organisations, under the methane emissions cohort of the Civil Society Expert Group on Gas (CSEGonG), said Nigeria’s methane governance framework had recorded progress but remained crippled by weak implementation, inadequate regulatory oversight and limited public access to credible emissions information.

They also raised concerns about the transparency and accessibility of environmental remediation funding following the introduction of Executive Order 9 of 2026, warning that changes to existing funding arrangements could weaken efforts to address longstanding environmental problems in oil-producing communities.

The concerns were in a communiqué issued after a stakeholder engagement convened in Abuja on 26 October by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and Africa Practice, in consultation with the Environmental Defense Fund.

The meeting brought together civil society organisations and researchers working on methane emissions, environmental accountability and energy transition to assess progress, identify gaps and develop a coordinated advocacy agenda.

The groups said the 2027 elections presented an opportunity to make methane governance a major issue in public policy debates, calling on civil society organisations to engage political candidates and institutions through nonpartisan, evidence-based advocacy.

The call coincides with a series of PREMIUM TIMES investigations documenting constant gas flaring, weak enforcement of anti-flaring regulations and the consequences of methane emissions for oil-producing communities.

In September, PREMIUM TIMES reported that oil companies continued to flare gas and emit methane despite Nigeria’s strengthened anti-flaring and methane reduction laws, with regulatory failures allowing violations to continue. A subsequent investigation published in October documented weaknesses in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s enforcement of methane regulations and notable gaps in emissions measurement and disclosure.

The organisations specifically highlighted the ongoing gas seepage in Bille, a riverine community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, as an example of the need to strengthen community-level environmental monitoring and regulatory accountability.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in June that gas had continued escaping from abandoned oil and gas infrastructure in the community, threatening residents’ livelihoods and raising concerns about environmental contamination and public safety.

The situation subsequently took a tragic turn when Joy Amos, a 29-year-old woman who suffered severe burns in a gas explosion in Bille, died in September.

The civil society organisations called for improved community-led documentation of gas leaks, flaring incidents and emissions from abandoned or improperly decommissioned oil infrastructure.

They also asked authorities to provide clearer mechanisms through which affected communities could report environmental incidents, obtain investigations and secure remediation.

The groups called for an assessment of the implications of Executive Order 9 of 2026 for environmental remediation funding, arguing that the revised arrangements could weaken transparency, accessibility and accountability in the management of resources meant to address environmental damage.

The Petroleum Industry Act provides for an Environmental Remediation Fund to finance the rehabilitation or management of negative environmental impacts arising from petroleum operations. Its provisions allow regulators to apply the fund where operators fail or are unable to undertake the required remediation.

The organisations also warned that Nigeria’s failure to improve methane measurement, reporting and verification could expose its oil and gas industry to commercial risks as international markets tighten environmental requirements.

They particularly cited the European Union’s methane regulations, which introduce monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for imported oil and gas from 2027.

According to the communiqué, Nigerian exporters seeking to maintain access to European markets would increasingly need to show credible emissions reporting and compliance with emerging requirements.

The groups said that capturing methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere or be flared could also provide economic benefits by recovering gas for commercial use, improving energy supply and reducing emissions.

They urged government agencies, petroleum operators and development partners to prioritise commercially viable methane capture and utilisation projects while ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.

The organisations further recommended that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and other relevant institutions improve public access to emissions data, compliance records, enforcement actions and progress towards methane reduction commitments.

They called on civil society organisations to consolidate existing research and monitoring initiatives into a coordinated advocacy framework, with clear policy proposals on regulatory enforcement, environmental remediation, emissions disclosure, energy recovery and community protection.

The communiqué also identified the need to involve faith-based organisations, labour unions, professional associations and other influential groups in methane accountability campaigns.

It said existing expertise and monitoring initiatives were not being shared sufficiently among organisations, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration and possible duplication of efforts.

The organisations recommended strengthening the use of independent emissions data and available monitoring technologies to help journalists, researchers and community groups scrutinise the activities of petroleum operators and regulators.

Members of the Methane Emissions Cohort of CSEGonG include: NRGI, Policy Alert, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, BudgIT Foundation, Stakeholder Democracy Network, We The People, Center for Environment, Human Rights and Development and Africa Practice.