Consequence of oil and Waste Spills on the Environment of Ogoniland, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental degradation of the oil-rich niger delta region has been wanton and continuous with dire health, social and economic consequences for its peoples, for over three decades. Oil exploration and exploitation is very lucrative, and a major revenue earner in nigeria. But, like most industrial activities, it produces environmental hazards that are “slow poisons,” in that they often take months and years to cause disease and death. This is unlike the contamination of water, food, and the environment with micro-organisms, which immediately results in ill health. The covert and slow action of the hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation make it difficult to fully appreciate their contribution to the disease burden in nigeria, especially in the oil-bearing communities, even with the emergence of non-communicable diseases as major causes of ill health in nigeria. This paper addresses questions like: what challenges and impact will ogoniland face concerning spillage of oil and other wastes on its environment (water, vegetation, aquatic lifes, people and socio-economic lifes? Which are the spillage control measures to be adopted in ogoniland to obtain best production culture and consideration? It discusses the trend of oil spillage problem and possible antidote to it in the niger delta part of nigeria.