Today, the Nigerian Senate passed the Report of the National Oil Spill
Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) Act 2006 (amendment) Bill, 2018
(SB. 557).
The Report, which was presented by the Senate Committee on
Environment, chaired by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was read for the third
time in the upper legislative chamber.
Speaking on the passage of the Bill, the President of the Senate, Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who also served as the Chairperson of the
Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology in the 7th Senate (2011 to
2015) said: “Thank you for passing this very important Bill that will
go a long way in addressing oil spillages. The focus of this Bill is
to ensure that we prevent, as opposed to chasing culprits after the
incident has happened.
”In doing this, we will inculcate the habit of adequate prevention and
control of oil spillages. This is a very good development for the
environment,” the President of the Senate said.
The NOSDRA Amendment will also address any kind of restriction and
ambiguity in the Agency’s mandate. This will help to ensure that there
is no ambivalence in the agencies mandate.
Additionally, the NOSDRA Amendment Bill will give the agency the
requisite capacity to regulate the activities of the operators as it
affects the environment.