About Us
What We Are About
The Coalition of Environmental Organisations (CEONG) is a unified alliance of Niger Delta-focused civil society groups, environmental justice advocates, legal experts, and community leaders committed to ending the environmental injustice of gas flaring in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Why the Coalition
CEONG was formed because decades of ruthless gas flaring have devastated the Niger Delta’s environment, health, and livelihoods, yet Executive Order 9 has now betrayed host communities by converting environmental penalties into Federation Account revenue — in flagrant violation of Section 104 of the PIA 2021.
No single organisation could confront this injustice at the highest levels, so we united as a powerful coalition of environmental groups, legal experts, and community leaders to end the monetisation of pollution, enforce true environmental justice, and ensure every kobo of penalty money is returned to the suffering communities it was meant to protect.
BACKGROUND AND THE PROBLEM
“Gas flaring penalties must be paid directly to the communities that endure the toxic pollution, health crises, and lost livelihoods — not diverted into general government revenues. Only when affected host communities receive and control these funds for remediation, clean energy projects, and sustainable development will penalties serve as genuine deterrents rather than a hidden subsidy for continued flaring. This is the proven global standard: ring-fence the money where the harm occurs, or risk normalising environmental injustice.”
— Dr. Zubin Bamji Program Manager, World Bank Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) & Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 Initiative
Our Contributions
Issues We Tackle
A CALL FOR ENGAGEMENT
SECTION 104
GAS FLARING SOARS
Key Statistics on Gas Flaring in Nigeria
Here are the most critical, up-to-date facts that highlight the scale of the crisis and why CEONG’s campaign is urgent:
1. ₦289.306 billion in gas flare penalties paid by oil companies from January to November 2025 — a 125.27% surge from ₦128.424 billion in the same period of 2024. These penalties represented 3.07% of the NUPRC’s total collections of ₦9.411 trillion. (Full-year 2025 penalties: ₦269.3 billion after adjustments.)
2. 203.97 billion standard cubic feet (scf) of gas flared in 2025 alone — equivalent to 7.54% of Nigeria’s total gas production
3. Devastating health impacts on Niger Delta communities (confirmed by 2025 studies):
- Rising respiratory illnesses (asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung damage)
- Skin diseases and eye irritation from soot and toxic pollutants
Increased hypertension, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and kidney disease - Higher cancer risk and reproductive disorders
- Stunted growth and developmental issues in children exposed to flare sites
- Elevated airborne toxins (CO, NOx, SO₂, VOCs, PM₂.₅) directly linked to higher mortality rates
4. Massive economic loss: Nigeria lost US$56.75 billion in direct revenue from flared gas between 2002 and 2024. The flared gas in 2025 alone could have powered millions of homes or generated billions in LNG exports and gas-to-power projects.
5. Worsening trend: Nigeria recorded a 12% increase in flaring volume in 2024 (second-highest global rise), with flaring intensity jumping 8% — far above the global average and despite commitments under the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative.
These numbers are not abstract — they represent poisoned air, destroyed farmlands, sick children, and stolen futures for Niger Delta communities.
Every kobo of penalty must go to remediation, not the Federation Account.
Source: NUPRC official data (2025–2026), World Bank Global Gas Flaring Tracker (July 2025), and peer-reviewed studies published in 2025.