Nigeria's gas-flaring deadlines

The deadline set for oil companies, by the federal government, to end gas-flaring has once again expired. Representatives of the major oil companies operating in Nigeria collectively reached an agreement with the government in August 2000 that the required phase-out of gas-flaring would be met by December 31, 2007. This was to replace a previous deadline of 2004.
When in December 2007, the multinational oil companies failed to meet the deadline, they appealed to the federal government to further extend it.

At its 25th National Conference, the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists' (NAPE) under whose aegis the multinational oil companies operate, agreed on the December 28th, 2008 deadline. The reason advanced was insecurity in the Niger Delta region of the country.
But days into January 2009 when gas flaring was expected to have ended, a look at the skyline in the oil producing areas would show that gas is still very much being flared.

The inability to, once and for all, put an end to gas flaring underlines government's nonchalant attitude to ensuring its policies are promptly implemented. The country's oil resources have been exploited for more than four decades, but oil companies including Shell, ExxonMobil, Elf, Chevron and Nigeria Agip Oil continue to burn off gas, thereby polluting the communities where oil is extracted.
The result is that while the oil companies profit from their activity, the communities are left to bear the despoliation of their environment.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) at one time blamed non-completion of the construction of gas collecting facilities for the delay. We however think that should not be good enough reason to justify the wanton wastage of resources and the pollution of our environment. No technical or operational excuses are sufficient to override the paramount need to protect Nigerians and their environment from artificial hazards.
During oil production, Nigeria burns about 24 bn cm of associated natural gasevery year which amounts to billions of dollars. While in Western Europe 99 % of associated gas is used or re-injected into the ground, Nigeria at present accounts for 20 % of the total volume of gas flared in the world, making it the world's biggest gas-flaring country.

According to experts, the gas flared is enough to power substantial portions of the African continent for a whole year. A developing country like Nigeria has no reason to squander her riches in the way it does with her natural gas.
Gas-flaring emits a cocktail of benzene and other toxic substances that are harmful to humans, animals, plants and the entire physical environment. Scientific study of the phenomenon has revealed that exposure to benzene and its metabolites cause leukaemia and respiratory disorders, which according to reports lead to the premature deaths of many Nigerians living in gas-flaring regions of Nigeria.

Continuous gas-flaring has not only allowed one potential energy source literally to go up in smoke resulting in a colossal loss of revenue but is also a major catalyst to air pollution and acid rain. Acid rain acidifies lakes, rivers and streams, and damages vegetation. It further accelerates the decay of roofing sheets and other building materials. The cumulative effect of this on climate change in the affected areas, can better be imagined.
Oil companies must realize that the gains of gas exploitation are no less beneficial than oil. With adequate facilities put in place, gas could be delivered for use in the country's power generating stations, the steel industries, fertilizer plants and for domestic purposes in our homes. When it is made available and accessible to Nigerians in their residences, the looming crisis of desert encroachment through the felling of trees for cooking and other domestic uses would be forestalled.

Government should therefore take her commitment to end gas-flaring seriously. The authorities should find a way of addressing the concerns of the oil companies to ensure that agreed deadlines are met. We urge President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to, as a matter of urgent necessity, review existing gas policy in the country with a view to sanctioning oil companies that continue to flare gas into the atmosphere.
Putting an end to gas-flaring would help in dousing the heightened state of disaffection in the Niger Delta, whose people have been up in arms against environmental pollution. We believe that the sustainable growth and development of a country can only be attained in a healthy and secure environment.