Press statement.
…Demands comprehensive pipeline integrity assessment and immediate replacement of aging infrastructure
The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), Nigeria, an environmental justice campaigner and climate change advocate, expresses profound concern over the recent crude oil pipeline explosion in the Owaza community of Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State. The incident once again exposes the grave environmental, public health, and safety risks posed by Nigeria’s aging oil and gas infrastructure.
While the Abia State Government has attributed the explosion to the failure of an obsolete pipeline reportedly installed in the late 1950s, FENRAD emphasizes that a transparent, scientific, and independent assessment remains imperative. The recurring incidence of pipeline failures across the Niger Delta underscores the urgent need for evidence-based investigations and systemic infrastructure renewal.
FENRAD therefore calls for the immediate constitution of a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) involving representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Abia State Ministry of Environment, the pipeline operator, community representatives, independent environmental experts, and Environmental Focus civil society organizations.
Such a Joint Investigation Visit is critical to establish the precise cause of the explosion, determine the extent of environmental contamination, assess socio-economic impacts on affected communities, and recommend appropriate remediation and compensation measures.
As an environmental justice campaigner,
FENRAD maintains that communities should not continue to bear the disproportionate burden of environmental degradation resulting from aging energy infrastructure. As a climate change advocate, the Foundation further stresses that resilient, safe, and environmentally sustainable energy infrastructure is indispensable to Nigeria’s climate adaptation, pollution prevention, and sustainable development objectives.
Beyond the immediate response,
FENRAD strongly advocates for a comprehensive Pipeline Integrity Assessment (PIA) of the entire pipeline corridor traversing Owaza and adjoining communities.
The integrity assessment should include corrosion evaluation, wall thickness testing, hydrostatic pressure testing where appropriate, leak detection system evaluation, geotechnical stability assessment, and a comprehensive risk analysis to determine the operational safety of the infrastructure.
Where engineering assessments confirm that the pipeline has exceeded its safe operational lifespan or no longer meets contemporary safety standards,
FENRAD calls for its immediate decommissioning and replacement with modern pipeline infrastructure designed and installed in accordance with international best practices, applicable Nigerian regulations, and globally accepted environmental and safety standards.
Environmental protection cannot be achieved through emergency responses alone. Preventive asset integrity management, routine maintenance, continuous monitoring, and timely replacement of obsolete facilities remain fundamental obligations of pipeline operators under responsible environmental stewardship.
Furthermore, FENRAD urges the relevant authorities to undertake immediate environmental sampling and laboratory analyses of impacted soil, groundwater, surface water, sediments, and ambient air quality to determine the extent of contamination and guide evidence-based remediation efforts.
The affected communities deserve prompt environmental restoration, transparent disclosure of findings, and adequate compensation for any verified losses suffered.
FENRAD also calls upon regulatory agencies to strengthen oversight and enforce strict compliance with pipeline integrity management programmes across the oil-producing region. Preventable infrastructure failures continue to threaten biodiversity, livelihoods, food security, ecosystem services, and the constitutional right of citizens to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
FENRAD reiterates that environmental justice requires accountability, transparency, community participation, and adherence to internationally recognized environmental standards.
The Owaza incident must serve as a catalyst for comprehensive reforms in pipeline asset management rather than another addition to the long history of avoidable environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
FENRAD remains committed to advancing environmental justice, climate resilience, ecological restoration, responsible natural resource governance, and the protection of the environmental rights of vulnerable communities across Nigeria through evidence-based advocacy, policy engagement, and strategic partnerships.
Signed
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor Executive Director
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), Nigeria
For Media Enquiries:
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD)
Email: info@fenrad.org
Tel; 08033383708,07062949232
www.fenrad.org.ng
