No fewer than 22 oil and gas workers died in the line of duty between January and December 2024, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, an agency of the Federal Government, has said.
The NUPRC reported a total of 22 fatalities and 31 operational incidents in the country’s upstream oil and gas sector last year, according to a report sighted by our correspondent.
This sobering statistic underscores the persistent safety challenges confronting Nigeria’s oil operations, despite regulatory reforms and enhanced safety oversight introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act.
The commission did not give details of the incidents and the operators involved. However, The PUNCH recalls that a helicopter carrying six officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited crashed along with two crew members in October last year.
The East Wind Aviation helicopter, with Registration Number 5NBQG, reportedly took off from Port Harcourt NAF Base en route to the FPSO–NUIMS Antan.
The NUPRC report, which disclosed the commission’s health, safety, and environmental performance, showed that 732 oil spill incidents were recorded across the country during the year.
It was disclosed that 59.01 per cent of the spills were caused by sabotage, particularly in the Niger Delta.
It was gathered that the fatalities arose from various operational hazards and were part of a broader pattern of safety incidents being tracked and addressed through accident investigations, audits, and compliance enforcement.
In response, the commission ramped up the issuance of Offshore Safety Permits and expanded training through its Safety and Emergency Training Centres, with over 26,000 individuals registered and 237 Radiation Safety Permits issued in 2024.
The report indicated the NUPRC accredited 150 waste management companies to mitigate environmental impact. It also issued 183 waste discharge permits and granted 67 approvals for Environmental Impact Assessments and Management Plans.
NUPRC also confirmed the successful resolution of six environmental and safety violation cases in 2024 and said it was progressing with digital platforms like HostComply to enhance monitoring and community engagement.
Within the period under review, the commission said it received a total of 48 oil spill-related petitions. It was added that 35 Environmental Screening Reports and Preliminary Impact Assessment Report approvals were issued.
Similarly, 91 Terms of Reference and Scope of Work approvals were issued. 41 Environmental Evaluation Studies were approved. 30 Environment Baseline Study and Environmental Seabed Survey were also approved.
The PUNCH reports that the NUPRC has a Health, Safety, Environment, and Community Department saddled with the role of ensuring sustainable and responsible operations in the upstream oil and gas industry.
According to the NUPRC, the department is tasked with overseeing and managing the environmental, health, safety, and community-related aspects of oil and gas operations.
The Occupational Safety & Industrial Health of the department unit is charged with ensuring that oil and gas companies implement safety procedures to identify and mitigate risks in the workplace. It also tracks and investigates accidents and incidents, administers offshore safety permits, and conducts periodic safety audits.
In the same vein, the Process Safety unit oversees the safety of operations in the oil and gas industry, ensuring that people, systems, and assets are in place to operate safely. It conducts technical safety studies, manages safety-critical equipment, and implements safety management systems.
However, the death of 22 workers might be a warning that more needs to be done to avert fatal accidents in the industry.
