The loss of gas through flaring, various analysts told Daily Independent, could have generated over 110,000 GWh of electricity, enough to power more than 10,000 Nigerian homes for a year.

The value of the lost gas was obtained from the offi­cial X handle of BudgIT Ni­geria @BudgITng by Daily Independent in Abuja.

Gas flaring remains a persistent problem in Ni­geria, causing severe en­vironmental damage and economic loss.

Despite decades of government efforts, in­cluding court rulings, deadlines set by past administrations, and legislative attempts, en­forcement has been weak due to unclear laws, poor government engagement with oil companies, and regulatory gaps.

Key interventions have included: The 2005 Federal High Court ruling declar­ing gas flaring illegal as a human rights violation; missed government dead­lines to end flaring under Presidents Yar’Adua (2008) and Jonathan (2011); the stalled Gas Flaring Pro­hibition Bill (2017–2018) which failed to become law; the Petroleum Indus­try Act (2021), which re­quires feasibility studies for gas utilisation but per­mits flaring without pen­alties for up to five years; and the Associated Gas Re-Injection Act (AGRA), allowing exemptions and issuing fines too low to de­ter flaring.

Regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Ni­gerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority face challenges from overlap­ping mandates, weak pen­alties, and limited monitor­ing capacity.

Efforts to integrate sat­ellite tracking and public transparency remain in­complete.

The government now targets ending routine gas flaring by 2030 in line with global climate goals.

Collaborative initia­tives are underway, in­cluding methane emission guidelines, national flare reduction targets, and the Nigerian Gas Flare Com­mercialisation Programme (NGFCP), which promotes flare gas commercialisa­tion.

However, success de­pends on stronger en­forcement, meaningful penalties, community en­gagement, compensation for health impacts, and accelerating flare gas util­isation projects for power and industry.

Until these critical steps are firmly implemented, Nigeria risks continuing to lose vast energy resources and enduring the environ­mental and social costs of gas flaring.