INVESTIGATION: Burning in Silence: Bayelsa communities bear the brunt of gas flaring

‘In this investigative report, KEHINDE OGUNYALE reveals how gas gas exploration and emissions by companies in Bayelsa State have altered the environment, created climate change and negatively impacted the citizens’

Amid Nigeria’s sluggish efforts to curb methane emissions due to weak accountability and failed commitments, local communities near oil exploration sites continue to bear the brunt of daily gas flaring and its harmful effects. In Obunagha community, Bayelsa state, the consistent flaring has polluted rivers and farmlands, leaving residents, whose major livelihood depends on farm yields, to count their losses every harvest season.

Each day, thick fumes rise into the sky from the towering vertical flare stacks operated by exploration companies. These emissions have not only disrupted rainfall patterns but have also blanketed once-green vegetation with layers of black soot and drastically changed the environment. Meanwhile, pipeline vandalism and relentless oil extraction have soaked the farmland in dark, heavy crude, turning the soil dense and lifeless. As a result, rooted crops like cassava and yams struggle to grow, yielding far less than they once did. Rachel Queen, a local farmer in Obunagha community, Bayelsa State, has spent her entire life relying on agriculture to support her family.

Without formal education, farming has been her sole source of income. In the past, she harvested over ten bags of crops like cassava, plantains, and yams each season. But since oil exploration began, her yields have steadily declined.

“When the companies started exploration in our community, farm products, like

cassava, did not grow well; within two months, rain would fall and all our crops would die. I usually harvest more than 10 bags, but now I only get two bags”, she narrated.

Queen said, beyond the dwindling harvests from her farm, she now finds herself taking her children for treatment almost every month due to recurring health issues. She blames it on the family’s only source of water- rainfall- which, she says, has become contaminated by constant gas flaring in the area.

The Obunagha community is one of several communities located near the Gbarain-Ubie Integrated Oil and Gas Processing Plant. The plant was formerly operated by Shell before its recent divestment in January 2024; the facility is now run by Renaissance Africa Energy Company (RAEC). For over eight years, since the plant began operations, residents say they have endured relentless gas flaring that has taken a heavy toll on their community.

This investigation examines how emissions from the exploration facility have altered the area’s environmental and atmospheric conditions.

From L-R: Chief Zion Kientei, Rachel Queen, King Bubaraye Dakolo

GHG emissions: a threat to livelihood

Over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue is generated from oil exports. While the government accumulates this revenue, the exploration activities around these oil sites, especially in the Niger-Delta region, continue to pollute the environment. Every day, Nigeria drills an average of 1.5 million barrels of crude oil. Many of these operations emit large volumes of greenhouse gases (like methane and carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere, intensifying climate change and degrading local ecosystems.

For instance, in Baylesa state, 374.6 million MSCF (million standard cubic feet) of gas flares have been released between 2012 and 2024. Within the same period in Yenagoa Local Government Area, where Obunagha belongs, a total of 35.6 million Mscf of gas was flared, which is about 10 per cent of the total gas flared in the state.

Several studies have shown how the impact of these flares alters weather patterns, more frequently increases the threat to food security, poses health risks, which are often linked to deteriorating air and water quality.

Nigeria, as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, committed through its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent unconditionally and up to 47 per cent with international support by 2030. However, with five years left, the country still struggles to meet its target.

As of 2021, methane accounted for the largest share of Nigeria’s greenhouse gas emissions at 44.6 per cent, followed by carbon dioxide at 37.4 per cent, and nitrous oxide at 12.3 per cent. Despite policy commitments, recent data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) shows that gas flaring persists. In 2024, approximately 192 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) of gas were flared, up from 183 MMSCF in 2023, representing a 7.69 per cent increase year-on-year.

For several communities, like Obunagha, within the Niger-Delta region where oil is explored, the risk to their livelihood worsens daily. Peter Bethel, another resident of Obunagha, explained that those who can afford it have resorted to digging boreholes for water. However, even this water is only safe enough for bathing and cooking, not for drinking.

Long history of oil exploration in Yenagoa

For over six decades, Bubaraye Dakolo has watched the evolution of the Ekpetiama Kingdom in Yenagoa, where he now serves as the traditional ruler and Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council. Obunagha is one of the communities under the Ekpetiama Kingdom. According to Dakolo, Shell secured oil exploration licenses in the area as early as the 1990s, and by the year 2000, major infrastructure had begun to take shape. However, it wasn’t until 2007 that full operations officially commenced.

He said “the average production is within the range of about 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent of gas, which is what is removed from here every day. So, whether you see the flare or not, that’s what happens. So from about 2008, the gas has been burning till today.”.

This field investigation revealed that the rooftops of most houses near the exploration site were coated in thick layers of black soot, a visible marker of prolonged gas flaring. The site was heavily guarded, with armed security personnel stationed at its entrance. While road access into the community was relatively unimpeded, various types of industrial trucks were parked at multiple locations, and in some areas, oil pipeline installations were actively underway.

The impact of the flare has polluted the environment and rivers, leaving many residents in the community to battle with various health issues, with little or no means of treatment. According to Dakolo, farming and fishing were once the backbone of livelihoods in the community during the early 1960s. It was common to catch at least 20 kilograms of fish within just 10 minutes on the water. Today, by contrast, it takes more than three hours to catch even 2 kilograms. He also noted that the polluted environment and water stream have caused major health challenges for women and children within the community. “Some people have died of asphyxiation, from asthma and related respiratory diseases, and then, of course, skin infections of all types”, he t lamented.

Zion Kientei, another traditional ruler from Lasukugbene in Bayelsa State, echoed similar concerns. He noted that since oil exploration began in his community in 1974, when the first pipeline was laid, the environmental impact has steadily worsened, leaving residents increasingly vulnerable to health and livelihood crises. “If there’s anything the people of Lasukugbene have gained from oil and gas, it’s the negative impact,” said Zion Kientei. “Oil and gas exploration in this area has always placed Lasukugbene on the receiving end of environmental degradation. So, there is nothing to take home when it comes to impact except negative activities.“

He continued, “I am a living legend in Lasukugbene. Now, when we talk about agriculture, growing up, I know exactly how it was when my parents went farming and when they came back, they came with a good harvest,” he said.

When asked about regulations, both traditional leaders claimed that most regulations by the government and government agencies like the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission have not been effective. For instance, Section 104 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) prohibits gas flaring or venting by licensees, lessees, or marginal field operators, except in cases of emergencies, with approved exemptions, or for safety reasons. Violations are subject to penalties determined by the Commission. These fines are treated as petroleum royalties: they cannot be recovered as operational costs or deducted for tax purposes, and must be allocated toward environmental remediation and support for affected host communities.

Both leaders stated that there have been no evident changes in flaring or environmental restoration since the laws were enacted. Regulators fail to comply with transparency According to the 2022–2023 emission disclosure report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), only 15 out of 62 oil companies submitted their emissions data, representing a 24% compliance rate. The report, the first of its kind, represents a notable step toward corporate accountability. However, it also reveals that the limited transparency from these polluters could undermine Nigeria’s efforts to meet its climate commitments. Although the 2007 NEITI Act mandates the submission of such data and includes penalties, ranging from fines to imprisonment for non-compliance, enforcement remains weak. NEITI’s Head of Oil and Gas Unit, Abdulmumin Abubakar, acknowledged this limitation in an interview, noting, “NEITI does not possess direct investigative or prosecutorial powers; the agency relies on other institutions for enforcement, a major barrier to curbing corruption in the extractive sector”.

Further compounding the issue is the alarming environmental record in oil-producing regions. A check on the Nigerian Oil Spill Monitor revealed that Bayelsa State recorded over 430 oil spill incidents since 2024 up to June 2025, with more than 11,000 barrels of crude oil spilt. The top three most affected local government areas are Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw, and Yenagoa, home to the Ekpetiama Kingdom, where the Obunagha community is located.

A closer look at the data revealed that in Yenagoa, companies such as Shell, Oando, and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company are responsible for the majority of oil spill incidents. The spills are mostly linked to damaged infrastructure, particularly pipelines, flow lines, wellheads, and flow stations.

The environmental damage has been extensive. Oil spills have devastated farmlands, contaminated drinking water sources, and polluted rivers that local fishers depend on for their livelihood. The result is a growing crisis that threatens both food security and public health across host communities. In another development, the National Oil Spill Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA) has said that Nigeria lost $443.8 million (N710.08 billion) to gas flares from these oil exploration sites between January and April 2025. This is 19.88 per cent higher than the $370.2 million (N592.32 billion) lost in the same period in 2024.

The substantial losses highlight Nigeria’s failure to harness the potential revenue from emissions, while regulatory measures to hold oil companies accountable remain weak and ineffective. The Executive Director of the Institutional and Sustainable Development Foundation, Paul Ogwu, emphasised the need for economic considerations, especially carbon pricing mechanisms and mainstreaming green investments across the sector’s value chain.

“Nigeria can do that by strengthening the existing regulations, especially in the environmental regulations, Petroleum Industry regulations and making it a vital part of the country’s upcoming Nationally Determined Contribution DC 3.0, climate commitments and other regulations within the sector. For the host communities, we need to create awareness and also build their capacity to report emissions and hold the companies accountable,” he said.

No penalties, more crises loom

The PIA mandates that oil and gas companies contribute 3% of their actual operating expenditure from the previous year to the Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTF). A report by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) claimed that host oil communities in the Niger Delta have received N98 billion. However, leaders and residents in the Ekpetiama Kingdom, including Obunagha, argue that this contribution does not come close to compensating for the environmental and atmospheric impact of emissions and oil spillage in the communities.

Dakolo said, “It’s a pro-oil industry act that is aimed at finishing the people of the Niger Delta. Because therein it is written that oil companies add liberty to flare gas and then pay penalties as they please. So it’s like someone saying that I can slap you and pay a hundred Naira.” Another resident of Obunagha, Imomoti Poko, pointed out that, beyond the environmental and atmospheric damage, many houses in the area don’t last long after construction. He noted that constant noise and vibrations from nearby operations often cause cracks in the walls. Most residents fear that if the emissions and spillages are not controlled, many family members would become unemployed, homeless and unable to afford necessities.

This story was produced with support from the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI) and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)

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