ENVIRONMENTAL CURSE OF  OIL PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

 

                                      OIL SPILLAGE

Corrosion and equipment failure are major causes of the environmental and economic harm caused by oil spills in the Niger Delta, despite the region's abundant oil economy.

Oil spills in the Niger Delta have occurred a total of 7943 times since 2006 to 2019 with 62 percent attributed to corrosion inland and just 7 percent due to equipment failures (Akinwumiju et al., 2020).

Accidents and operational releases of petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment may also lead to oil spills. Another reason for oil spills is improper oil bunkering (Egbe, and Thompson 2010).

 

                                           

GAS FLARING

Apart from oil spills, gas flaring is another important cause of environmental deterioration in the Niger Delta.  ( DPR 2014) It is estimated that in 2014, Nigeria produced 3,048,546,486scf/d of gas; utilized 87 percent,  and flared 393,839,936scf/d, that’s 13 percent of the total gas produced, according to the 2014 Industry Statistical Bulletin.

 

Deforestation and ecological degradation have occurred in the Niger Delta as a result of oil extraction, jeopardizing renewable natural resources and ecosystem services (Nwilo and Badejo 2005) Spills and gas flares have caused significant environmental harm. According to ( Kadafa 2012) deforestation, fisheries depletion, and biodiversity loss, oil pollution, mangrove degradation, and gas flaring are among the environmental challenges in the Niger Delta. People relied heavily on farming and fishing to sustain themselves, therefore any incident that affected these resources would have a direct impact on their livelihood. According to (Nwilo and Badejo 2005)  oil pollution has a negative impact on wildlife and the environment, causing the death of animals and plants within the environment. When a spill occurs and the reaction time is short, fishing resources may be affected by physical pollution, bio accumulation of contaminants, and disruption to spawning grounds, as well as habitat loss. As seen in Ogoniland, the effects of oil pollution on mangrove vegetation range from acute stress to outright annihilation. According to (UNEP 2011 )Niger Delta oil leakage has wreaked havoc on one of the world's most significant wetland areas, killing almost everything in its path. (Zabby, 2009) Crude oil includes poisonous components that may kill plants and animals, as well as create a wide range of other less severe effects.

Niger Delta acid rain, a result of gas flaring, is another concern in the area, causing loss of biodiversity and destroying forest and commercial crops. There seems to be a correlation between rainfall acidity and biodiversity loss in the Niger Delta area and the degradation of forests and commercial crops, according to (Uyigue and Agho 2007).