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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Niger Delta's Woes Due to Weak Law Enforcement, Not Lack of Laws: Ex-Minister

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Former Minister Henry Odein Ajumogobia stated that the Niger Delta's underdevelopment stems from a failure to enforce existing laws, not a lack of legislation.
  • He called for an absolute ban on gas flaring, the establishment of environmental courts, and reforms in resource governance.
  • The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) expressed commitment to sustainable development through reforms aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery.

The persistent environmental degradation, poverty, and underdevelopment in Nigeria's Niger Delta region are not due to insufficient laws but a failure to enforce existing legal frameworks, according to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Foreign Affairs, Henry Odein Ajumogobia.

The Niger Delta is not suffering from a lack of law. It is suffering from a failure of legal governance.

— Henry Odein AjumogobiaAjumogobia's keynote address at the NDDC Law and Development Summit, highlighting the core issue facing the region.

Ajumogobia made this assertion while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Law and Development Summit in Port Harcourt. He argued that decades of weak legal governance have prevented the oil-rich region from translating its natural resources into sustainable prosperity. "The Niger Delta is not suffering from a lack of law. It is suffering from a failure of legal governance," he stated.

He called for an absolute legal ban on routine gas flaring, stricter environmental sanctions, and the establishment of specialized environmental courts. Ajumogobia stressed that meaningful development requires empowering host communities through enforceable legal rights, ensuring their participation in petroleum operations, equitable revenue sharing, and inclusion in decision-making processes. He emphasized that communities should not remain passive observers.

Gas flaring must end, not in rhetoric, but in law. It should be prohibited absolutely with stringent penalties that deter violation, not tolerated.

— Henry Odein AjumogobiaAjumogobia's strong stance on ending gas flaring during his speech.

Furthermore, Ajumogobia advocated for stronger environmental protection laws, including strict liability for pollution and legally enforceable timelines for remediation. He specifically targeted gas flaring, calling for its prohibition with stringent penalties. He also renewed calls for decentralizing resource governance, arguing that excessive federal control has alienated oil-producing communities and fueled distrust and conflict.

We need environmental courts with real authority because without consequences, there is no compliance.

— Henry Odein AjumogobiaAjumogobia advocating for the establishment of effective environmental courts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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