Time to Halt Gas Flaring

Gas flaring has since been acknowledged worldwide as a leading contributor of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere and has, therefore, attracted stringent, combative responses both at governmental and corporate levels. Unfortunately, however, in Nigeria, five decades into its oil exploration, the relevant authorities are yet to respond in kind to this extractive activity that has proven to bear dire consequences. Unless a proper law is enacted soon to clearly spell out deterrent penalties, more environmental and economic woes would befall the country.
The nation's current gas - flaring profile is truly troubling. With the exception of Russia, Nigeria flares its gas more than any other country (Out of the 150 billion cubic metres blazed around the world annually, it accounts for 20 billion). That could have earned the country $500 million. Painfully, as loss of revenue is recorded, so also is the volume of harm and incredible damage done to human health, environment and animal life. As activists have argued repeatedly, the acid rain the flaring produces inevitably results in respiratory and skin diseases, roof rusting and ground water pollution. All these have a drastic negative effect of the overall well-being and life expectancy of the people who live in the Niger Delta.
But, sadly, the reaction of successive governments to this tragic scenario has been timid. As far back as 1979, the government theoretically outlawed gas flaring and announced that the obnoxious practice would be systematically phased out five years later. Curiously, almost 30 years after, no decisive action has been taken to actualise the spirit of that declaration. All the nation has been treated to is a cocktail of issuance of threats, payment of token penalties by offending oil companies and pronouncements of shifty deadlines for effecting a complete halt of gas blazing, the last ultimatum being December this year.
Only last February, the government approved a "gas master-plan" that aims to construct new facilities and boost local supply with the hope of discouraging flaring altogether. This patronising, rather than assertive, official approach to the issue is partially occasioned by the country’s over dependence on oil - at the moment responsible for 76 per cent of government revenue and 90 per cent of export. But, for how long should the government continue to pamper the oil firms, most of which have not demonstrated enough faith in the welfare of the citizenry, despite their obvious overwhelming gain on their investments here?
Oftentimes, the operators give grossly inadequate infrastructure as reason for their inability to discontinue flaring and to process gas. That is unacceptable. Experience in other parts of the world has shown that all it takes is the will of the firms and the determination of the regulatory bodies to make a demand accordingly. That the companies prefer payment of $3.50 on every flared 1000 cubic metres of gas to considering the humanitarian crises they create as a result of their activities shows gross insensitivity on their part. But no responsible government would allow such blatant, even criminal, disregard for societal safety to continue interminably. The other day in Holland, Shell was compelled to pay $20 million as part of the penalties for flouting that country's anti-flaring laws. The federal government should take a cue from that and show the citizenry that it takes their wellbeing seriously.
It is indeed shameful that up till now, the campaign to eliminate flaring in the country does not have the legal backing to ensure its success. The National Assembly should, therefore, as a matter of urgent national interest, enact the enabling law that would re-energise the relevant authorities in the task of stopping the unwholesome practice. The nation and its citizens, particularly those who live in the oil-producing areas, have suffered enough gas - related disasters. Now is the time to halt this tragedy.