Latest from the Commission
PIA implementation begins next year
19 August 2021 - The Federal Government embargoed implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) till August 2022. President Muhammadu Buhari gave this hint when he inaugurated a steering committee to oversee the process yesterday. Unveiling members of the steering committee, President Buhari said it has a 12 months duration…
President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, 2021 into law
16 August 2021 - Buhari signs PIB into law President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, 2021 into law. The Petroleum Industry Act provides a legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and related matters.
Oil Spillages: After 31 Years of Legal Battles Shell Agrees to Pay Ogoni N46bn
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), finally agreed to pay compensation for oil spillages in the Ogoni community of Rivers State, to the tune of N45.9 billion ($88,269,230.77), after over 31 years of legal battles.
Aiteo Slams $2.5bn Suit against Shell over Sale of OML 29
Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited instituted a legal action against Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, seeking the sum of over $2.5 billion compensation over the sales of Oil Mining Licence 29.
Finally Shell can no longer shirk responsibility for Niger Delta oil spills
The Secretariat placed an op-ed in the Royal African Society's editorial platform, African arguments. The piece is co-authored by Dr Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou and Prof Engobo Emeseh.
UK: Supreme Court rules that polluted Nigerian communities can sue Royal Dutch Shell in the English courts
In February 2021, the UK Supreme Court ruled that two Nigerian communities can bring their legal claims for clean-up and compensation against Royal Dutch Shell Plc and its Nigerian subsidiary in the English courts. The UK Supreme Court overturned a split decision of the Court of Appeal and held that…
The Hague Court of Appeal ruled on a case regarding liability of multinational oil companies.
In January 2021, the Hague Court of Appeal ruled on a case regarding liability of multinational oil companies. The Secretariat organised an interview between Sky News and BSOEC Commissioner Professor Engobo Emeseh.
November 2019 Interim Report
Written by: The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission Few countries on the face of the planet have suffered more from oil pollution than Nigeria. Over the last half century, as many as ten million barrels of oil have been spilled across the country. That’s equivalent to a spill similar…
Black gold: the Niger Delta
Today an investigation into an under-reported environmental crisis opens in Nigeria. The Niger Delta, Africa’s biggest oil-producing region, has fuelled Nigerian elites’ astonishing wealth. The masses rarely enjoy such riches—but many suffer the consequences of vast oil spills. Roughly 40m litres of oil wind up in the delta annually, eight…
Major new inquiry into oil spills in Nigeria’s Niger Delta launched
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)A major new inquiry into oil companies operating in the Niger Delta has been launched by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu. The probe will investigate "environmental and human damage" in Nigeria's vast oil fields. "This Commission will investigate the human and environmental impact of multinational oil company…
