The Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) has launched a high-level training programme for Nigerian regulators on methane emissions control in the oil and gas sector. The two-day session, held in Abuja on Tuesday, brought together officials from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). SDN Country Director, Florence Ibok-Abasi, described the training as a strategic step to improve regulatory oversight, calling methane emissions one of Nigeria's most pressing environmental and economic challenges. She said the programme, supported by the Global Methane Hub, focused on methane abatement strategies, enforcement mechanisms, and international best practices. Each module was designed for practical use, addressing daily regulatory issues such as compliance dilemmas and data gaps. A second phase of training will follow the completion of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Emission Tracker (NOGIET), a tool SDN is developing to provide near-real-time emissions data. Ibok-Abasi emphasized that regulators now have the knowledge and responsibility to drive change in methane management. The training also featured insights from James Ogunleye, managing director of Carbon Limits Nigeria, who stressed that effective emissions reduction requires three pillars: technology, financing, and policy alignment. He noted that without viable financing, even the best technologies would fall short. Jude Samuelson, SDN's head of environment and climate change, said the programme aimed to accelerate enforcement and emissions reductions.
Florence Ibok-Abasi claims regulators now have the knowledge to make NUPRC and NMDPRA the gold standard for methane regulation in Africa, yet the training hinges on a tool—NOGIET—that has not been completed. Regulators are being asked to enforce standards using data systems still under development, leaving current oversight efforts potentially unverifiable. Nigerian communities living near oil and gas facilities continue to bear health and environmental risks without proof that these new measures can deliver real-time accountability. The gap between training rhetoric and operational reality remains wide.
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