By Uko Etim

UYO — Stakeholders from across the Niger Delta have called for an immediate audit and cleanup of abandoned oil wells in the region, warning that leaking and undecommissioned infrastructure continues to endanger lives, ecosystems, and public health decades after operations ceased.

The demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 5th Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence, NDAC, held on Saturday in Uyo.

The meeting was convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, and well attended by civil society groups, labour unions, traditional institutions, youth and women organisations.

They cited incidents including the abandoned wells in Otuabagi, the 2007 eruption of the SPDC Ibibio-1 well in Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom, and ongoing fires at the Ororo-1 well in Ondo State and the Alakiri wellhead in Rivers State.

The stakeholders criticised weak enforcement by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

They also said the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, 2021 had not protected host communities or ensured accountability, and instead placed a burden on communities to protect fossil infrastructure.

The Communique signed by the Convener of NDAC, Dr Nnimmo Bassey and the Chairman of NDAC, HRM Oba Oluwamgbe Ojagbowumi, lamented that the abandoned wells and aging facilities were leaking hydrocarbons and polluting communities in the region.

According to the Communique, “The Convergence observed that oil companies frequently evade decommissioning responsibilities through divestments, corporate restructuring, and regulatory loopholes.”

The Communique reads: “Every abandoned, leaking, and undecommissioned oil well in the Niger Delta must be treated as a crime scene, given the continuing threats they pose to lives, livelihoods, ecosystems, and public health.

“Immediate and transparent audit of all oil wells and petroleum infrastructure in the Niger Delta, alongside the urgent decommissioning, remediation, and ecological restoration of abandoned and unsafe facilities, with state governments leading accountability efforts and the Federal Government enforcing compliance.

“While we acknowledge landmark reports including the Willinks Commission, NDES, UNEP, and BSOEC reports, the Convergence insists that the future of the Niger Delta must no longer be defined by exploitation and ecological sacrifice, but by justice, restoration, environmental integrity, and development shaped by the aspirations and rights of the peoples of the region.

“We seek an end to reckless extractive practices and short-term economic interests that continue to undermine environmental sustainability and community livelihoods.

“Immediate identification, audit, and public disclosure of all abandoned oil and gas wells and facilities across the Niger Delta region.

“Immediate cleanup, remediation, restoration, and reparations of polluted environments and ecosystems affected by oil extraction and abandoned facilities.

“Amendment to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), alongside stricter enforcement of provisions relating to environmental responsibility, decommissioning obligations, and corporate accountability.

“A transparent and legally enforceable framework regulating oil company divestments to ensure that liabilities are not transferred to communities or the Nigerian state,” it added

They also called for the publication of decommissioning and abandonment fund payments in the annual Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, reports, and greater involvement of host communities, women, and youth in environmental governance.

Our correspondent reports that the event, themed “Decommissioning and Accountability,” was also attended by researchers, environmental professionals, and frontline community leaders from the region.