Hold IOCs accountable for Niger Delta pollution, HEDA tells senate

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has asked the senate to compel international oil companies (IOCs) to clean up the environmental damage in the Niger Delta.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, HEDA chairman, the group urged lawmakers to go beyond crude oil theft probes and address “decades of ecological destruction and economic injustice”.

Suraju commended the senate for its efforts to combat oil theft but said environmental plunder by IOCs is a “deeper and more enduring theft”.

“While we commend the senate for stepping up collaboration with security agencies to tackle oil theft, the deeper and more enduring theft is the environmental and economic plunder by IOCs,” he said.

He accused international companies of trying to quietly divest onshore assets and exit Nigeria without addressing the environmental damage in host communities.

“That is unacceptable. These companies operated for decades with little regard for the environment or the people and must not be allowed to walk away without cleaning up their mess,” he said.

‘PIPELINE SECURITY NOT ENOUGH’

Suraju was reacting to a meeting between Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police, and the senate ad-hoc committee on crude oil theft chaired by Ned Nwoko.

The committee had called for better intelligence-sharing and stronger protection of oil infrastructure.

But Suraju said securing pipelines will not solve the wider problems in the region.

“Justice for Niger Delta residents cannot be secured by police action alone,” he said.

“If the senate truly wants to end economic sabotage, then it must also tackle the longstanding impunity of oil multinationals.”

He recalled HEDA’s previous campaigns against “hasty divestments” by IOCs and petitions to local and international authorities.

The group has demanded clean-up of polluted sites and compensation for impacted communities, citing several court rulings against oil companies.

Despite those efforts, Suraju said enforcement remains weak.

“It’s time for the Nigerian senate to show the same urgency in enforcing environmental justice as it is doing in curbing oil theft,” he said.

‘COMMUNITIES STILL SUFFERING’

He warned that communities in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and other oil-producing states continue to suffer the consequences of unregulated extraction.

According to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the country lost over 353 million barrels of crude, worth about $25.7 billion, to oil theft between 2002 and 2025.

HEDA warned that the cost of environmental degradation and displacement could be even higher.

“The senate must rise above politics and protect the dignity and rights of the people,” Suraju added.

“The IOCs operating in the area must not be allowed to walk away without taking responsibility. Anything less is an injustice.”