Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for a stronger, more independent action from National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to address the constant oil spillage faced in Niger Delta region.
The call was made during a visit to its zonal office in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The delegation, which included representatives from Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Kebetkache Women Development Centre, Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI), and others, congratulated the newly appointed NOSDRA Zonal Head, Mr. Bello Augustine.
TNN newspaper reported that the led team reaffirmed their commitment to working with NOSDRA to address environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
Coordinator of Oil Watch International, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit aimed to strengthen collaboration and push for quicker responses to oil spills and environmental hazards.
He also emphasized the need to review the NOSDRA Act to empower the agency with adequate funding and logistics.
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Ebiaridor asserted, “We feel that the Act is okay but not sufficient enough, we feel there are some grey areas that needs to be strengthened, we feel that NOSDRA should be independent enough to be able to have logistical equipments to engage in oil spills whether on land or on seas.
“We believe that if NOSDRA is a little bit independent by having funds, logistical vehicles, speed boats, helicopters, they will be stronger enough in defending the environment and also not relying on the polluters because when the polluters are the ones taking this stand it gives us a huge indifference as civil society people and as community people to not want to trust the outcomes of such events.”
The CSOs also raised concerns about the lingering Ogoniland clean-up and ongoing threats from gas flaring and oil spills, which continue to harm communities and ecosystems.
Kebetkache Women Centre’s Program Officer, Idongesit Umoh-Smart, speaking on behalf of Dr. Emem Okon, stressed the health impact on women, saying, “There is need for NOSDRA to work with women to improve women’s health as they are the most affected in this sadly polluted Niger Delta region. We want our environment to be restored to what it used to be.”
In support of technological solutions, MAJI’s Executive Director, Mr. Okoro Onyekachi Emmanuel, presented a low-cost air quality sensor to NOSDRA, encouraging wider deployment for environmental monitoring.
Responding, Zonal Head Bello Augustine appreciated the CSOs’ support and reaffirmed NOSDRA’s commitment to building a safer, healthier environment through active collaboration.
The visit concluded with a renewed call for sustained partnership and reforms to boost NOSDRA’s effectiveness in protecting the Niger Delta’s environment and people
