NRGI, PLSI Pick Holes In Nigeria’s Methane Oversight, Urges Gov’t Action To Deepen Accountability

The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), have called on the Nigerian government to close the existing legal and regulatory gaps hindering effective oversight of methane emissions in Nigeria.

The call comes in the wake of a capacity-building workshop held in Abuja for civil society and media actors.

The workshop, supported by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), underscored the urgency of accelerating decarbonisation efforts.

They equally highlighted the critical gaps in Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework and emphasised the need for reforms that strengthen transparency and deepen accountability.

It said that despite Nigeria’s national and international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, participants expressed concerns over weak policy implementation and regulatory shortcomings, which continued to undermine climate targets and erode public trust.

This is even as they called for greater data transparency and accountability from regulators, and the adoption of more people-centered approaches to methane emissions governance.

Speaking on this, Senior Officer at NRGI, Tengi George-Ikoli, said public accountability and corporate compliance must be at the center of methane governance while urging the federal government and relevant agencies to establish clear mandates and strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure stakeholders can track and report emissions across the oil and gas value chain.

“These are crucial steps to meet Nigeria’s climate commitments and protect affected communities,” he stated.

Also speaking, Executive Director, PLSI, Olusegun Elemo, added: “Transparency is good, but it is just the starting point. We need legal clarity, enforceable standards, and institutional readiness to meet the climate moment.

“Civil society and the media must help ensure the government implements laws and commitments to drive corporate compliance and public accountability.”

LEADERSHIP reports that the workshop builds on previous multistakeholder efforts, including NRGI’s recent methane dialogue and PLSI’s Nigeria Accountability Summit. It also sets the stage for a forthcoming high-level forum on 30 May 2025, jointly convened by NEITI, NRGI and PLSI.

The upcoming dialogue will bring together policymakers, regulators, and civil society actors to drive stronger alignment between state and non-state actors in advancing a coherent, transparent, and enforceable methane emissions governance regime.

It will build on NEITI’s recent success in securing emissions disclosures from 15 oil and gas companies under the 2023 EITI Standard.