NOSDRA was established by an Act of the parliament, Act No. 15 of October 18, 2006. It is an Agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment to coordinate the implementation of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) which also incorporates the National Oil Spill Contingency System (NOSCS) for Nigeria, in compliance with the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC 1990), to which the country is a signatory. National Oil Spill Contingency System (NOSCS) is a harmonisation of all relevant regulations, organisations, personnel, procedures, facilities, equipment, logistical support to respond to a spill, reduce the negative impact and manage all related issues.
The NOSCP is the National Institutional Framework describing and officialising the entire national spill preparedness and response system, including both the public and private resources for responses to emergencies resulting from spillage of oil. It ensures safe, timely, effective and appropriate response to major or disastrous oil spills in Nigeria through clean up and remediation of oil impacted sites based on global best practice. NOSDRA is the lead Agency for all other Oil Spill Contingency Plans in the country including the ports and industries. The Agency is also tasked with the enforcement of all existing environmental laws, guidelines and standards in the country’s petroleum industry. As part of its special functions, NOSDRA promotes Regional Cooperation and Collaboration among Member-States of West, Central and Southern Africa including the Gulf of Guinea. The Agency has also widened and deepened working relationships with key international stakeholders in oil spill response, including the United Kingdom (UK)–based Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) and Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI-WACAF). Arising from the pivotal role NOSDRA plays in oil spill management at the national and sub-Saharan region. NOSDRA is assigned the “Designated National Authority” of GI-WACAF on the basis of the Abidjan Convention. The immense contributions of the Agency in providing credible and actionable information on how to robustly and effectively tackle oil industry crimes that are part of the causative factors in oil pollution like pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and illegal refining (otherwise known as artisanal refining) earned the Agency a slot in the 10 elected members of International Police (INTERPOL)’s Global Pollution Crime Working Group. NOSDRA currently plays a critical role in the ongoing clean-up and remediation of oil impacted areas in Ogoniland, Rivers State, based on the Report of the United Nations Environment Programmed (UNEP) which was at the instance of the Nigerian government. The Agency has developed a baseline Environmental Sensitivity Index Map (ESI) covering Nigeria’s shoreline from Badagry to Calabar which enables identification of high-risk as well as priority areas for protection and effective clean up. The Agency has also done a lot in deploying technology to ensure a more robust and transparent reporting of Oil and Gas pollution related matter (Oil Spill Monitor and Gas Flare Tracker). As part of the Agency’s role in Environmental Compliance Monitoring, the Midstream and Downstream are also covered. The Agency has a National Control and Response Centre for the purpose of Tier 3 oil spill response monitoring.
Join our team and get involved
The only way to make this happen is to take action!
