SDN Briefs

This research highlights how the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) targeted toward host community development create both opportunities and challenges. The report outlines some of the key concerns under the areas of finance and governance and provides specific recommendations for the legislature and regulator to consider, in their ...

This research analyses the possible impacts for Nigeria and the Niger Delta if it continues down the path of increasing gas production. The analysis aims to highlight Nigeria’s position within the current global gas situation. It covers Nigeria’s plans to increase international exports and domestic consumption, while meeting emissions and ...

In whose interests? The mismanagement of government resources allocated to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for ex-agitators has created complex and stubborn financial dependencies. This complicates efforts to transition the PAP to an end. These dependences stretch beyond legitimate participants, to those vying for an illegitimate share of the allocated ...

Summary A free press is a critical part of democracy and a progressive state. Across Nigeria there is a wealth of talented journalists doing important work to produce high quality independent journalism, holding those in power to account. However, freedom of the press is coming under increasing pressure. This briefing ...

Summary The latest iteration of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was forwarded to the National Assembly in September 2020. It has gone through first reading at both the Senate and House of Representatives but full deliberation and public hearing is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2021 ...

Summary This report provides a comparative assessment of the environmental performance of 43 oil companies operating in Nigeria in 2018. This is the first environmental performance index (the Index) by SDN. It is based on the amount of oil spilled and gas flared (burnt off) by each company in the ...

Strengthening monitoring of oil-related imports and exports in Nigeria Summary This brief summarises research on the potential of commercial and independent data to strengthen monitoring of maritime oil-related imports and exports in Nigeria. It also provides an overview of how approaches, such as remote sensing, could be employed to track ...

An analysis of official and unofficial petroleum products in the Niger Delta Summary Official fuel quality regulation must be enforced to stem widespread toxic air quality in Nigeria.

Research in the Niger Delta suggests that low quality, highly toxic fuels are imported into the country by international commodity traders, who ...

Summary Across Nigeria, women are severely underrepresented at all levels of governance and face substantial social and economic barriers that hinder their active participation in politics. The situation in the Niger Delta is particularly difficult, due to highly competitive and violent aspects of politics and poor resource management by ...

Pipeline surveillance contracts are awarded to private firms by government agencies and oil companies. Surveillance contractors are ostensibly tasked with monitoring sections of oil pipeline, identifying any breaks and protecting them from vandalism. However, the concept of pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta is a misnomer. They rarely ...

In November and December 2018, we trained nearly 100 citizen Election Observers, Social Media Analysts, and Data Analysts as project team members to take part in Niger Delta Watch 2019. They were based across the Niger Delta, and submitted incident reports and other analysis on events which related to a ...

See our updated analysis for the latest version of the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill 2020 Today SDN publishes two policy briefs looking at key pieces of Nigerian oil sector legislation. They examine the environmental aspects of the legislation, should it be passed – and what this will mean ...

The migration of ex-militants into Niger Delta politics Since the 2009 start of the Niger Delta amnesty programme, dozens of self-described former ‘agitators’ (ex-militants) have migrated out of the creeks and into politics. Initially, many acted as political thugs, or ‘godfathers’, to help mainstream politicians win elections, in exchange ...

Reports from a team of election observers across Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers States helped to substantiate crowd-sourced text-reports, and, together, informed a series of 11 election eNewsletters to brief key stakeholders on emerging issues to focus on before they escalate, and summary reports on Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers State. These ...

Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) is a visit to oil spill sites usually carried out within two weeks of an onshore oil spill in Nigeria. It is designed to assess the cause of the spill, the amount spilled and the scale and extent of damage and environmental impact. JIVs are usually ...

The Gas Flare Tracker system provides data and insight that will help guide regulation, incentives and investment aimed at reducing gas flaring and its impacts while increasing energy security and prosperity for Niger Delta communities and Nigeria as a whole. The application is an online map that displays a number of ...