..urge environmental cleanup before IOCs divest onshore assets

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Spaces for Change, S4C, is convening the fifth edition of the National Extractives Dialogue, NED2026, with a called for the remediation of environmental liabilities in oil-producing communities to precede the divestment of onshore assets by International Oil Companies, IOCs, warning against transferring the burden of pollution to host communities.

The organisation made the call ahead of the fifth edition of the National Extractives Dialogue, NED2026, scheduled for September 29 and 30, 2026, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Executive Director of S4C, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, in a statement she personally signed, said the dialogue, organised in partnership with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, with support from the Ford Foundation, would also focus on the environmental crisis in Bille Kingdom, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The event is themed: “Remediation Before Divestment and Energy Transition: Amplifying the Bille Environmental Crisis.”

S4C said the dialogue would bring together more than 150 stakeholders from the Niger Delta and beyond, including government officials, regulators, civil society organisations, host community representatives, academics and private sector operators.

According to the organisation, the gathering would provide “a high-level, solutions-driven conversation on the future of extractive governance in Nigeria,” against the backdrop of rapid changes in the country’s oil and gas industry.

“The Nigerian extractive sector is experiencing a massive structural shift marked by accelerated onshore asset divestments by International Oil Companies, IOCs, alongside the strategic push toward a national energy transition,” the organisation said.

It, however, warned that “this transition is unfolding against a backdrop of ongoing environmental concerns in host communities across the Niger Delta,” with Bille Kingdom now at the centre of the discussion.

S4C said Bille, which hosts major asset blocks including Oil Mining Leases, OML 18 and OML 24, had continued to grapple with environmental challenges allegedly linked to oil and gas activities.

“Reports from affected communities and preliminary field observations indicate persistent environmental challenges, including reported gas leaks impacting local waterways, creeks, residential areas, and agricultural livelihoods,” it said.

S4C noted that although technical assessments were still ongoing, “the people of Bille await the outcome of verified scientific investigations and immediate relief measures, such as access to clean water.”

It stressed that addressing the situation would require “comprehensive technical source-tracing, inter-agency collaboration, and corporate accountability across operating entities.”

The organisation also cautioned that as Nigeria pursues energy transition and IOCs transfer onshore assets to domestic operators, historical environmental liabilities and remediation obligations must be addressed before such transactions are concluded.

“To ensure divestments do not leave communities bearing the burdens of extractive activities, NED2026 proceeds upon the premise that responsible decommissioning, environmental cleanup, and inter-agency coordination must precede asset transfers and energy transition plans,” S4C said.

S4C said the National Extractives Dialogue had, since its inception, provided “a constructive platform for spotlighting the complex realities in extractive governance in Nigeria and the broader West African region.”

“Past editions have inspired community-led action, catalysed regulatory reforms, amplified marginalized voices, and deepened public discourse on accountability in the extractive sector,” it said.

The organisation said NED2026 would build on the achievements of previous editions by combining advocacy with practical solutions to challenges confronting oil-producing communities.

“NED2026 builds on this legacy by not only raising urgent questions but also offering concrete strategies for reform,” it said.

It further explained that the dialogue was structured as a grassroots community conference, enabling residents of Bille and neighbouring riverine areas to engage directly with regulators, industry operators, security agencies and civil society organisations.

“The Dialogue is structured as a grassroots community conference, enabling community members from Bille and neighbouring riverine areas to engage directly with regulators, industry operators, security agencies, and civil society to demand transparency and enforce corporate and state responsibility,” S4C said.

The organisation urged relevant stakeholders to use the NED2026 platform to develop practical and coordinated responses to environmental concerns in Bille and other oil-producing communities.

It said the outcome of the dialogue would contribute to ongoing conversations on transparency, environmental justice, corporate accountability and sustainable extractive governance in Nigeria.