Assessment of Environmental Compliance and Monitoring Frameworks for Gas Flaring Reduction at Onshore Oil Fields in Imo State

Gas flaring remains a persistent environmental and economic problem at onshore oil fields in Imo State, South East Nigeria, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain, and community health impacts. This study assesses the environmental compliance performance of six onshore oil field operators in Imo State regarding the Federal Government of Nigeria's Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme and the Flare Gas Regulation 2018. Compliance was evaluated across four dimensions: metering and data reporting accuracy, flare reduction project implementation timelines, associated gas utilisation rates, and community health impact monitoring programmes. Metered flare volume data from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency portal were cross-validated against satellite-derived flare volume estimates from the VIIRS nightfire algorithm for the period 2020 to 2024. Results revealed significant under-reporting by three of the six operators, with satellite-derived estimates exceeding metered values by 18 to 43%. Associated gas utilisation rates remained below the 2018 regulatory target of 80% at five of six fields. No operator had implemented a structured community health monitoring programme as required under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. The study recommends independent third-party verification of flare metering data, mandatory gas flare reduction road maps with enforceable milestones, and community health surveillance funded by gas flare penalty revenues. Keywords: gas flaring, compliance monitoring, associated gas utilisation, Imo State, Petroleum Industry Act