Implications of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act for SDG 5

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) using the lens of the SDG 5, the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal which aims to achieve global gender equality. The crux of the
consideration here is if the legislation scores any points for the Nigerian energy sector in the fight for
gender equality. If not, what the way forward should be. Nigerian oil and gas regulators have shown a
willingness to tackle, using legislation, any gaps that arise, both directly affecting the sector and even
tangential to it. For instance, the most wholesome legislation to oversee triangular/co-employment
scenarios in Nigeria regulates the sector. Furthermore, there is the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry
Content Development Act (NOGICDA) (the “Local Content Act”), which seeks to ensure active Nigerian
participation in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. However, even with this proven diligence, Nigerian oil
and gas industry regulators have consistently overlooked one glaring challenge: the underrepresentation
of women in the industry. Using doctrinal research methodology, the paper evaluates the extent the PIA
addresses the challenge of gender imbalance in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. It finds that the PIA seems
to have a blind spot: the lack of provisions specifically relating to the empowerment of women. The paper
argues that the mainstreaming of gender equality and inclusiveness in the legislative and institutional
frameworks of Nigeria’s petroleum industry is imperative for the achievement of SDG 5.