‘Why Nigeria must regulate oil exploration’ 6 March 2020

A non-governmental organization, Connected Development (CODE) is now in talks with the major stakeholders in the Nigerian extractive sectors with the motives of ensuring grassroot governance for settlers of oil reserve rural communities as well as advocating an urgent passage of Petroleum Industry Governance Bill for harnessed oil riches in the country. During her advocacy trip to Lagos over the weekend, CODE engaged both the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, seeking that Nigerians who have become vulnerable in spite of oil spillage are duly compensated.

Their round-table discussions came at the heels of the eviction of thousands of dwellers at Tarkwa Bay, a semi-rural area on the Lagos Island, by the Nigerian Navy on the account of some reported cases of looting nearby oil pipelines. CODE’s team lead, Dr. Onyekachi Onuoha, in his words, noted that their ‘objective revolves around holding relevant government’s stakeholders in the oil extractive sector accountable to their mandates.’