The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill granting the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency stronger powers to impose heavier fines and criminal sanctions on oil spill offenders.
The legislation, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to amend the 2006 NOSDRA law to provide clearer statutory authority for tougher penalties in the petroleum sector.
Senators adopted the report of the Committee on Environment before dissolving into the Committee of the Whole. They approved Clauses 1 to 12 and later gave the bill a third reading and final passage.
Committee chairman Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi and Senate Chief Whip Senator Tahir Monguno told the chamber the amendment responds to persistent oil pollution in the Niger Delta. Monguno said repeated spills continue to damage the environment and destroy fishing and farming livelihoods in oil-producing communities. Existing fines, he added, have not deterred offenders.
The bill introduces criminal liability for spills that harm the environment and deprive residents of their means of livelihood.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio praised the Environment Committee for its work and congratulated NOSDRA on the additional enforcement powers.
Lawmakers said the changes are expected to strengthen the agency’s ability to tackle oil spill violations.
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