OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA: THE NEED FOR WELL HEAD SAFETY

Abstract

As a country, Nigeria is endowed with abundant energy resources, and it has been making appreciable profits from such exports. Oil and gas resources continue to occupy the attention of the petroleum industry, policymakers, and the general public. The legacy of petroleum appears to have a strong footing in politics and security, manifested in the politicization of oil and gas resources, which has an adverse effect on the economy. The economy of Nigeria mainly thrives on a single product. It survives largely by exporting crude oil for economic growth and advancement. The early years of offshore drilling were characterised by extremes of both reward and risk in an environment in which very little legislation and regulation existed. During this period, the industry undertook few safety initiatives. While companies were able to find and produce oil and gas profitably, they also faced a number of hazards that resulted from trying to adapt land-drilling methods offshore, fitting complex drilling and production facilities onto small platforms, using untested designs and procedures, and handling dangerous equipment and flammable materials, all in an adverse marine environment that frequently exposed workers and equipment to high winds and waves as well as corrosive salt water. There are regulations set in motion to curb the menace of well oil safety failure in Nigeria. This article, therefore, assesses the gaps in these regulations in the hydrocarbon industry in Nigeria.