The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has been approached by a conglomeration of Akwa Ibom State-based civil society organisations, youth organisations, academics, and activists who are demanding complete transparency regarding gas flare penalties levied in the state since 2021.
The AKEJA alliance also demanded that the transfer of gas flare penalty funds from the MDGIF to the Federation Account, which had been authorised by Presidential Executive Order 9 of February 2026, be reversed.
A petition was presented to the NUPRC headquarters in Eket during a peaceful demonstration organised by the Clement Isong Foundation (CIF) in partnership with Actionaid Nigeria. AKEJA included these six prayers among them.
Elkana Oluyori, ClF’s executive director, stated that the protest was in favour of environmental justice for host communities impacted by gas flaring and part of a larger worldwide mobilisation against pollution from fossil fuels.
The coalition also wanted all gas flare elimination plans to be made public, a report on the status of all gas capture licenses in the state, complete compliance with the HCDT, including the makeup of the board, and communication with the National Assembly regarding the return of gas flare penalty funds to the MDGIF.
“Gas flare penalties exceeding 10.4 million dollars became payable on Oil Mining Lease (OML)13 alone, between 2021 and 2025,” reads the statement that was made available to Newsmen. “In the same period, host communities in Akwa Ibom were owed an estimated 270 million dollars in outstanding penalties.”
However, the coalition pointed out that petrol flaring levels were still high in 2025, despite oil corporations supposedly paying almost $646 million in petrol flare penalties nationwide. This suggests that penalties on their own did not result in lower emissions.
AKEJA claimed that eight villages in the Eastern Obolo Local Government Area still do not have access to electricity, even though there is an abundance of gas in the field. The communities affected by this issue include Elekpon, Atabrikang, Iko Town, and OML 13, which was activated in May 2024.
The affected communities will persist in their pursuit of environmental justice and accountability through legal channels, according to AKEJA, which added that it had communicated with Network Exploration and Production Limited, Seplat Energy, the Akwa Ibom State Government, the National Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other pertinent institutions via letter regarding the matters brought up.
In her speech, Mrs. Helen Eyo, programme manager of NAPPDRR, emphasised that women bore the brunt of environmental degradation and encouraged NUPRC to do its part.
Everyone, but notably women, has felt the harmful effects of pollution, which is why it must immediately cease. The NUPRC, as the primary regulator, should fulfil its duty because this pollution causes a lot of problems for women in the Niger Delta, including cancer, infertility, respiratory tract infections, and more.