Despite the ambitious climate commitments made by late President Muhammadu Buhari at COP26 in 2021, Nigeria has seen gas flaring rise 15.7 per cent since pledging to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
When Buhari pledged at COP26 that “Nigeria is committed to net zero by 2060,” the move was widely praised as a significant step toward aligning the country’s oil- and gas-heavy economy with global climate goals.
“Nigeria will maintain a gas-based energy transition… to attain both development and climate ambitions,” Buhari had stated, launching a detailed Energy Transition Plan (ETP) that sought to balance industrialization with environmental responsibility.
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Rising flaring undermines climate goals
Recent data from the Nigerian Oil Spill Monitor, corroborated by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), paints a less encouraging picture. Oil and gas companies flared an estimated 301.1 million standard cubic feet (scf) of gas in 2024.
While Nigeria had made progress between 2018 and 2022, cutting flaring from 470.8 million scf to 224.9 million scf, a 52 percent reduction, 2023 and 2024 saw a rebound. Flaring rose to 275.5 million scf in 2023 and 301.1 million scf in 2024, a cumulative 15.7 per cent increase from the 2021 baseline, the year of the net-zero pledge.
In 2025, between January and May alone, 154.1 million scf of gas was flared, marking the highest volume for a five-month period since 2020.
“There’s been more (crude oil) production. Production normally comes with flaring,” said Ayodele Oni, partner at Bloomfield Law Practice. “So the more production, the more flare you have, unfortunately.”
Why flaring persists — and why it matters
The persistence (and resurgence) of gas flaring is tied to structural obstacles. According to the NUPRC, weak pipeline infrastructure, insufficient gas-processing capacity and limited commercial offtake remain major barriers.
Economists put the cumulative opportunity cost, lost export earnings, domestic gas supply and potential power generation, at tens of billions of dollars.
Government response: Words, plans, but mixed results
Under the ETP, Nigeria committed to a zero-routine-flaring goal by 2030, boosted by the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP).
The NGFCP was relaunched in 2023 to attract third-party investment to capture and commercialise associated gas, converting waste into usable energy.
More recently, NUPRC reaffirmed this goal and launched the Upstream Oil & Gas Industry Decarbonisation Blueprint, in partnership with the World Bank Group, aiming to enhance emissions monitoring and methane abatement.
Enorense Amadasu, speaking on behalf of the Commission, noted that “methane emissions account for a significant share of Nigeria’s upstream greenhouse-gas footprint, mainly from flaring, venting, and fugitive sources.”
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Yet, the flare-out target remains elusive. The recent uptick in flaring suggests that regulatory pronouncements and commercial instruments have not yet translated into systemic change on the ground.
“The gas commercialisation programmes should be given as much support as it requires. They (government and oil companies) should stand behind that policy and implement it as well as they can,” Oni said.
According to him, the solution lies in supporting the programme, “because all these penalties don’t seem to resolve gas flaring. It’s better if we encourage more people to invest in gas flare commercialization.”
Government initiatives, international partnerships
In response to growing criticism, Nigerian authorities have launched several initiatives aimed at curbing flaring and monetising associated gas.
The NUPRC recently announced a collaboration with an Argentinian technology firm to deploy advanced flare reduction systems.
In a statement, the Commission said the partnership would “leverage innovative solutions to convert flared gas into value-added products, creating economic opportunities for the nation.”
Similarly, NOSDRA has reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to ending routine gas flaring.
Last week, Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of state for Petroleum Resources (Gas), announced the measures at the Sub-Saharan African Roundtable on Methane Emissions held in Abuja. The event, themed, ‘Turning Methane Pledges into Action,’ brought together regional stakeholders to discuss strategies for curbing methane pollution.
Ekpo said Nigeria is taking decisive steps to meet its national and global commitments on methane reduction and energy transition. Central to these efforts, he said, is the strict enforcement of flare-out deadlines mandated under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He added that regulators have been directed to intensify compliance monitoring and ensure operators meet the set timelines for eliminating routine gas flaring.
To strengthen monitoring capabilities, the minister revealed that the country is deploying advanced methane-detection technologies, including satellite systems, drones, and handheld sensors to support leak detection and repair across upstream and midstream operations.
“These technologies will provide real-time emissions data, enhance accountability, and reduce environmental impact,” he said.
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Ekpo also highlighted new commercial incentives introduced by the Federal Government to support methane abatement initiatives. These include frameworks for flare-to-power projects, expansion of the LPG market, and development of small-scale LNG solutions.
According to him, “The incentives are designed to convert previously wasted gas into productive economic value, powering industries, supporting households, and creating employment opportunities.”
Private sector players are also stepping in. PE Energy, a Nigerian firm, has introduced modular gas processing units designed to eliminate flaring at marginal oil fields.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies reported achieving zero routine flaring at its Nigerian operations seven years ahead of schedule, using its Auséa technology, a drone-based monitoring system that detects and measures methane emissions.
