Phd dissertation sustainable environmental management in the niger delta region of nigeria. The region has huge oil and gas reserves, and ranks the sixth worlds largest exporter of crude oil omofonmwaandodia, 2009. Oil exploration, environmental degradation, and future. The negative impacts of oil discovery in the niger delta. Regulation of environmental pollution in the nigerian oil. Pdf the increased prominence of the petroleum industry in nigeria since the 1960s has given rise to a concomitant. Capital, the state, and environmental pollution in nigeria. The main sources of oil spill on the niger delta are. In nigeria, there is a huge abundance of land or environment, and, with a rural population of over 60%, centralized land system exists. Nov 29, 2017 consequently, the crucial issue is not to halt all production activities in the oil industry order to sustain the quality of the environment, rather, the issue is to examine the legal and institutional framework for the control of oil pollution in nigeria whether they have been able to attain the objective of their enactment and establishments. Oloibiri in bayelsa state was rather the first place that oil was found in commercial quantity and indeed the first site from where the product was exported akpan.
There are many documented cases of oil spillage in the niger delta region, southern. Legal and sustainable development impacts of major oil spills. It is oil wealth that sustains the nigerian economy ever since the commodity displaced agricultural resources as the mainstay of the nations economy in the 1970s. Welcome to the nigerian institute of advanced legal studies. Chronic effects of oil spill on soil properties and microflora of a. Basically, the word pollution can be variously defined. In addition, the niger delta has natural gas reserves estimated at about 182 trillion cubic feet tcf ogj, 2005, making nigeria the largest natural gas endowed country in african and among top ten in the world.
Biodegradation of petroleumpolluted soils using cnbtech the. We combine data from the nigerian oil spill monitor 10 and the nigeria demographic and health. Legal and institutional framework for the control of oil. It covers environmental control of various petroleum activities in nigeria, including exploration, production, terminal operations, hydrocarbon processing plants, oil and gas transportation and marketing. It calls on the public to report oil spills to nosdra through a hotline or by email, but heavily relies on the support of oil companies to provide data. The fortunes of the people have however, changed since the advent of oil in the region. The funiwa5 1980 oil well blowout involved the release of over 54,000 tonnes of crude oil which caused extensive damage to mangroves. It includes where applicable, a discussion of the sources and. For example, between 1970 and 1982, a total of 1,581 oil spills involving nearly two million barrels of oil was reported in nigeria.
It is possible to enhance the degradation of oil in the 17 yr old spillage by adopting bioremediation. In nigeria, niger delta oil region region as well as zamfara state 8 forms of pollution in nigeria gold mining region, lagos state refineries and depotsand all other regions where exploration activities are being conducted in violation of human and environmental laws and considerations will be stopped immediately under the new nigeria. Gas flaring practices started since the first discovery of oil in the niger delta region of nigeria, and this practice has continued without seizure. The average number of spills of more than 20 barrels of heavy oil and asphalt was 16 per year, with an average volume of. Floatingoil spills seldom have significant impacts on watercolumn and benthic resources. Postimpact assessment of oil pollution on some soil.
Implications for the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem. Transparency and accountability for sustainable development in the niger delta esekumemu victor clark, d. Some of the major oil producing countries include united states, russia, canada, venezuela, angola, nigeria, iran, and saudi arabia. But from a legal point of view it may mean the wrongful contamination of i. For a succinct history of the nigerian oil industry. Federation of nigeria 1990 for example, determined that oil operators should implement all practical precautions to prevent the pollution of the land, rivers, the territorial waters and other natural resources and where such pollution occurred shall take prompt step to control and, if. Impacts and management of oil spill pollution along the. This article discusses the condition of the niger delta. Oil, community resistance and the need for nonviolent option. Gas flaring has been associated with many socioeconomic, political and health implication in.
Oil from the niger delta region accounts for more than 90% of nigeria s exports and about 80% of the governments revenue, from as far back as december 1981. Agricultural based water pollution oil spill water pollution. The key environmental issues in the niger delta of nigeria relate to its petroleum industry. Environmental damage caused by the activities of multi. Experts say the refineries rank amongst the highest in that sector. Examining environmental policies and laws in nigeria.
Open letter to president muhammadu buhari on tackling oil pollution in nigeria 4 august 2015 your excellency, four years after the united nations environment programme unep published its landmark environmental assessment of ogoniland report, we are writing as a coalition of nigerian and. A undp report states that there have been a total of 6,817 oil spills between 1976 and. Including environmental pollution powerpoint charts and diagrams. Located in the southsouth zone of the country see figure 1, it is the region that produces oil the lifeline of the nigerian economy, as oil provides 95% of nigeria.
The major industries responsible for water pollution in nigeria include petroleum, mining for gold, tin and coal wood and pulp, pharmaceuticals, textiles. Up till now there are vandals of oil theft that often destroy the habitats. Remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil via biodegradation process is viewed globally as an. The socioeconomic and ecological importance of conservation of the environment is incontestable. This assignment highlights the rising water pollution in nigeria as a part from the. Firstly, nigeria is replete with environmental legislations following the directions of its. Abia, akwa ibom, bayelsa, cross river, delta, edo, imo, ondo and rivers state. Undoubtedly, nigeria is a monocultural economy that depends mainly on oil. Negligence in the niger delta amnesty international. An investigation by the nigerian environmental society in 1985 revealed that, between 1970 and 1983, offshore and onshore oil spillages amounted to 1,711, the equivalent of 354.
Nigeria s economy is heavily dependent on earnings from the oil sector, which provides 20% of gdp, 95% of foreign exchange. The resource degradation and pollution due to oil spillage, reduction in barrels of oils produce per day and by extension money following pipeline vandalism, etc. Indeed, oil which has changed the socioeconomic landscape of nigeria and the thought pattern of nigerians was first discovered in akwa ibom state. In the niger delta, the centre nerve of petroleum in nigeria, the most serious oil spillage occurred in july 1979, when a. These spills are caused by corrosion, poor maintenance of oil infrastructure, equipment failure, sabotage and theft of oil. Conflict resolution in the niger delta region of nigeria. In this way you can kickstart the cleanup of the niger delta and free the people of nigeria from the legacy of decades of oil pollution. Ijerph free fulltext health risks associated with oil pollution. Impacts of oil exploration in niger delta nigeria research. Abstract water pollution from crude oil spills in the mangrove ecosystem was investigated. Effects of oil spillage on community development in the niger. Environmental degradation from oil extraction in nigeria is not li. Nigeria is now the largest oil producer in africa and the sixth largest in the world, averaging 2. By law each oil industry operator must possess a minimum stockpile of spill control resources in order to respond to spills from their own facilities.
It can be said that the various legislations bordering on oil pollution in nigeria have had. Regulation of environmental pollution in the nigerian oil and. Aug 02, 2016 this study on environmental pollution in nigeria will cover all cases of environmental pollution ranging from air and water pollution due to oil exploration and refining, effluent waste from industries, dump sites all over nigeria market and streets and even noise pollution. Effect of oil spills on infant mortality in nigeria pnas. Environmental pollution powerpoint templates and environmental pollution powerpoint backgrounds for presentations ready to download. Pollution prevention p2 is the reduction or elimination of wastes and pollutants at their sources. In a stunning and dramatic legal ruling that echoed from the serene court chambers in the netherlands to the heart of rural niger delta in nigeria, the district. An indirect assessment of the effects of oil pollution on the diversity. Oil exploration and poverty in the niger delta region of. This book explores the relationship between oil pollution laws and environmental justice by comparing and contrasting the united states and nigeria. Oil activities, the environment and health insecurity. The pollution has led to environmental degradation, which has adversely affected the lives of the inhabitants and ruined the local economy of the region.
The legal requirement for compensating those who suffer from oil pollution is based on the provisions of the land use act of 1978. Since the discovery of oil in nigeria, way back in1950s, the country has invariably suffered some negative environmental consequences such as oil pollution resulting from gas flaring and oil extraction, loss of mangrove trees, which before now was a source of livelihood for the indigenous people and habitat for the areas biodiversity. Open letter to president muhammadu buhari on tackling oil. Pdf petroleum industry and its pollution potential in nigeria.
Environmental degradation from oil extraction in nigeria is not limited to. The nigerian oil spill monitor is a dedicated website that is intended to raise awareness of the scale of the problem. Environmental crime liability of the nigerian government in its oil. In nigeria the company that operates the pipeline or well from which the oil is spilled is responsible. Effects of oil pollution on the marine environment. A great number of factories operating in the nigerian region put a lot of effort into oil extraction, but they do not pay enough attention to environmental issues in nigeria. Nigeria is the 8 th largest exporter of oil in the world and the commodity is.
Oil pollution and water quality in the niger delta. These interventions often took the form of burning down villages, looting, raping, killing etc. Phd dissertation sustainable environmental management in the. Unep has acquired an international reputation for assembling expert teams, coordinating demanding assessments and bringing scienti. Pollution, liability, legislation, oil spill, gas flaring, environment. In nigeria, the impacts of oil spill appear more devastating owing to the fact that it is a developing. The niger delta region is made up of nine of nigeria. Nigeria s oil supplies to the united states reached 90,000 barrels per day as of april 2020. The niger delta region of nigeria has been inundated with oil pollution since the. Environmental guidelines and standards nigerian gas flare. An overview of pollution in nigeria and the impact of. Oil spill problems and management in the niger delta.
This open access senior thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the pomona. The country has been solely dependent on the exploitation of oil and illegal mining. Discovery of oil oil was discovered in nigeria in 1956 concentrated in niger delta previously an agricultural dependent economy, became reliant on oil corruption at its finest nigerian national petroleum company was established in 1977, created a joint venture with shell and other oil companies constitution of 1979 gave the nigerian. It is part of ongoing work by amnesty international and the centre for the environment, human rights and development cehrd to expose and challenge the human rights impacts of oil pollution in the niger delta. As of january 2009 the oil and gas journal ogj estimates that nigeria has 36.
Environmental issues in the niger delta wikipedia, the free. Aghalino, while the benefits of oil discovery in nigeria cannot be questioned, it has been argued that the price for the development propelled by oil discovery is the environmental pollution and degradation experienced by the oil producing regions of the country. Hence, the need to appraise the current levels of pollution, and environmental protection legislations in nigeria with a view to enacting a new legislation. Picture courtesy of fatoumata barry delta state, nigeria. Denying oil exploitation and corruption in the niger delta. In general, nigeria relies on oil pollution cleanup resources provided by the oil industry and very little is maintained in government hands. For all the pollution that is avoided in the first place, there is that much less pollution to manage, treat, dispose of, or clean up. Water in nigerian rivers mainly becomes contaminated with oil waste. We sought to associate the perspective measures of exposure to oil pollution with health outcomes. Nigeria has experienced numerous spills from pipelines, terminals and oil platforms. Oil pollution occurs when crude oil and its refined products are spilled into the environment by the activities of man. The nigeria state and the oil companies responded by calling in the military, police and state security operations, which the state had put at their disposal. Impact assessment, oil pollution, soil characteristics, niger delta, nigeria.
Oil is produced in the niger delta, located in the southern part of the country. Oil, gas, government and profitas is predictable the major incidences of corruption in nigeria are directly related oil and gas production because of the vast revenues generated by it production awojobi 1982. Since crude oil was first discovered in nigeria in 1958, oil exploration has continued in the nigerdelta. Aug 04, 2011 if requested, unep is willing to remain a committed partner of the nigerian authorities and of the ogoni people as they address the environmental challenges ahead. Nigeria s oil reserve is estimated at about 40 billion barrels with about 2. This paper examined the effects of oil pollution on the environment. Since the discovery of oil in nigeria, serious concerns have been raised over the impacts of oil pollution, particularly in the niger delta region. Open letter to president muhammadu buhari on tackling oil pollution in nigeria 4 august 2015 your excellency, four years after the united nations environment programme unep published its landmark. It is hereby recommended that the nigerian government should set up oil pollution compensation funds that will make provision for compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from activities of not only multinational oil companies but that of oil thieves, saboteurs and pipeline vandals. The search for crude oil and gas has been intense because the exploration and production of crude oil or natural gas have served as the source of revenue for many countries and continents.
Jan 01, 1990 oil pollution oil spillage is one of the worst polluters of water in nigeria. Phil vienna department of political science delta state university, abraka, nigeria abstract the discovery of crude oil in nigeria led to the neglect of agriculture that was the mainstay of the economy. The niger delta region of nigeria has been inundated with oil pollution since the beginning of oil exploitation in the 1960s. The economy of nigeria depends mainly on the oil and gas. For the last decade oil companies in nigeria in particular shell have defended the scale of pollution by claiming that the vast majority of oil spills are caused by sabotage and theft of oil. In 2001, nigeria proven oil reserve was approximately 30 million barrels ukoli, 2005. This was introduced 36 years ago, but is still the key piece of legislation to which most other relevant legislation about potential oil spill compensation refers. Pdf denying oil exploitation and corruption in the niger. Proven oil reserves as at january 2007 were estimated at 36.
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