Civil society organizations have called for stricter enforcement of Nigeria’s methane emissions regulations in the Niger Delta, warning that weak implementation continues to expose oil producing communities to serious environmental, health and economic risks.

The groups, including the Natural Resource Governance Institute, Policy Alert and We The People, made the call during a webinar built around “Flaring Lives,” a documentary highlighting the human cost of methane emissions and gas flaring in the region.

NRGI Country Manager Tengi George-Ikoli, represented by Program Officer Ahmad Abdulsamad, said Nigeria must reconcile its drive to expand gas production with its commitments to cut methane emissions and end routine flaring. She noted that emissions were linked to poor air quality, public health concerns, declining agriculture and degraded fishing waters.

“Progress on paper is not the same as progress in practice. The real test lies in implementation. Are commitments being met? Are emissions being measured accurately? Are regulations being enforced consistently?” she said, calling for clear consequences for violations and accelerated implementation of the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Program.

Policy Alert Executive Director Tijah Bolton-Akpan described flaring as a long standing environmental injustice spanning more than six decades. “For decades, gas flaring, venting, and fugitives have been treated as an acceptable cost of doing business, while the communities living in their shadow are treated as collateral. That view must change,” he said.

He and other speakers, including NRGI’s Damilare Ogunmowo and Extractive360 Executive Director Juliet Ukanwosu, urged journalists to intensify investigations and use publicly available data to hold government and industry accountable.