by Vashti Nenrit

Created on: June 11, 2010   Last Updated: May 09, 2011

The Niger Delta’s main environmental challenges result from oil spills, gas flaring and deforestation. Oil spills in the Niger Delta have been a regular occurrence, and the resultant degradation of the environment has caused significant tensions between the inhabitants and the multi-national oil companies operating there.  Thus the region is fraught with ethnic unrests, kidnapping and demanding for unreasonable ransoms.

There have been clashes between tribal groups which have resulted in numerous deaths as well as periodic disruptions in oil production.  Protests are recurrent features of the region, with cases of youths seizing oil platforms or taking of hostages of personalities or groups of people.  Production has been withheld by those restless youths who are the principal actors there, until their demands are met. 

Records have shown that there have been over 4,000 oil spills in the Niger Delta since 1960 and gas flaring from oil extractions have resulted in serious environmental, air and land pollution problems in the area.  The loss of mangrove trees which was once a sources of fuel-wood and habitat for the people is now unable to survive the oil toxicity of its soil. 

The oil spills also have an adverse effect on marine life which has become contaminated, in turn having negative consequences for human health which results from the consumption of contaminated sea food (Nigerian State,1997;4).

The effect of oil resource extraction on the environment of the Niger Delta has been very glaring in terms of its negative effect on the region.  Eteng (1997:4) stated that oil exploitation and exploration has over the last four decades impacted disastrously on the socio-physical environment of the Niger Delta oil-bearing communities. 

This has greatly threatened the subsistent peasant economy and the environment, hence the entire livelihood and basic survival of the people. Suffices it to note here that, while oil extraction has caused negative socio-economic and environmental problems in the Niger-Delta, the Nigerian state has benefited immensely from petroleum since it was discovered in commercial quantities in 1956.

The Central Bank of Nigeria 1981 annual report is illustrative; Oil which was first discovered in 1956 and exported in 1958 accounted for more than 90% of Nigerian exports by value and about 80% of government revenue as at December 31, 1984.

The overall contribution of the oil sector to the national economy also grew from an insignificant 0.1% in 1959 to 87% in 1976….(Eteng 1997,4).

The report states further there is no doubt that the Nigerian oil industry has affected the country in a variety of ways. On one hand, it has fashioned out a remarkable economic landscape for the nation.

On the negative side however, Petroleum exploration and production have had adverse effects on fishing and farming, which are the traditional means of livelihood of the people of the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta. If the oil industry is considered in view of its enormous contribution to foreign exchange earnings, it has achieved remarkable success.

If on the other hand, its negative impact on the socio-economic life and the environment of the immediate oil bearing local communities is considered, it has left a balance sheet of ecological and socio-physical disaster.

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