The House of Representatives has begun consideration of a bill seeking tougher penalties, including imprisonment, for oil spill violations, barely 24 hours after the Senate passed the proposed legislation and transmitted it to the House for concurrence.

A source in the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, who disclosed this exclusively to newsmen, confirmed that the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency Establishment Act Amendment Bill, 2026, had been transmitted to the House for further legislative action.

The source said the legislation was forwarded to the House for concurrence, adding that lawmakers had already passed it for first reading, which marks the initial stage of consideration.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the existing 2006 law establishing the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, with a view to strengthening its enforcement powers and introducing stiffer sanctions against individuals, oil companies and other operators responsible for oil pollution.

The Senate had earlier passed the bill following the adoption of the report of its Committee on Environment, amid concerns that existing penalties were insufficient to discourage oil companies and other operators from violating environmental regulations.

Presenting the committee’s report before the Senate, its Chairman, Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, supported the proposed amendments, while the Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North Senatorial District, drew attention to the devastating consequences of persistent oil spills on communities in oil-producing areas.

Monguno noted that repeated incidents of oil pollution had severely damaged the environment, contaminated water sources and destroyed the livelihoods of residents who depend largely on fishing and farming for their survival.

He argued that the existing financial penalties were not sufficiently deterrent and called for tougher sanctions, including criminal liability for oil spill incidents that cause environmental damage and deprive affected residents of their means of livelihood.

According to him, the current fines do not adequately discourage offenders from engaging in activities that threaten the environment.

He said, “The fines are not deterrent enough to deter offenders.”

Following deliberations, the lawmakers dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the bill clause by clause.

The Senate subsequently approved all 12 clauses of the proposed amendment, including the short title, explanatory memorandum and long title.

The upper chamber later resumed plenary, where the bill was read for the third time and subsequently passed.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the Senate Committee on Environment for its work on the legislation and congratulated NOSDRA on the additional enforcement powers expected to come with the proposed amendment.

The proposed amendment is expected to strengthen the agency’s ability to monitor oil spill incidents, enforce environmental regulations and ensure that individuals and organisations responsible for pollution are held accountable.

Oil pollution has remained a major environmental concern in the Niger Delta, where repeated spill incidents have contaminated farmlands, rivers and other water sources, affecting fishing, agriculture and several economic activities in host communities.

Residents of affected areas have continued to bear the consequences of environmental degradation, including the loss of livelihoods and damage to natural resources on which many communities depend.

With the bill now before the House of Representatives, lawmakers are expected to consider the Senate-approved provisions as part of the legislative process.

The legislation must secure the concurrence of the House of Representatives and complete other constitutional requirements before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.

If eventually signed into law, the amendment is expected to provide NOSDRA with stronger legal backing to tackle oil pollution and enforce compliance with environmental standards across the country’s oil-producing regions.