Oil spills in Niger Delta and Niger Delta militancy: Historical Background, Causes and Consequences
The Niger Delta is a collective name for the mangrove swamps, creeks and waterways of the Niger River delta in Southern Nigeria. Niger Delta has experienced many oil spills through years due to lack of maintenance and sabotage on pipelines.
This region was also known for frequent terrorist activity by militant groups seeking independence from Nigerian rule. In recent times, the Niger Delta militant groups have used violence to demand more rights for their people, including fair distribution of natural resources.
In response, the Nigerian government created the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to address some of these problems. However, with recent terrorist attacks on pipelines that provide oil to other African countries, it is unclear if any progress will be made towards solving these issues in the near future.
The first step for addressing this issue would be ensuring safety for all individuals living in Niger Delta and increasing unemployment through economic development initiatives as well as supporting educational opportunities so that residents, the region provides employment opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere in Nigeria.
This piece takes a look at the causes oil spills in Niger Delta and Niger Delta militancy, how they affect the environment and what can be done about them. We’ll also examine why there’s been so much violence in this part of Nigeria over the years.
Oil spills in Niger Delta: What are the main sources, causes and effects?
Beneath Nigeria’s vast mangrove forests and swamps, lies one of Africa’s largest underground reservoirs. Nigeria remains top exporter of crude oil as a result of exploration in the Niger delta region. However, a large quantity had been spilled over the years.
What are the main sources and effects of oil spills in Niger Delta?
The causes behind oil spills in Niger Delta are not well understood but they seem inevitable because oil cosmpanies do not have any other choice since their pipes need repair constantly because Nigeria’s terrain makes them susceptible to corrosion and mud slides. So, repairs often times lead directly back into another spillage situation within.
The consequences vary but there is one thing they all share: destruction towards nature itself.
Oil spills in Niger Delta have had a variety of consequences, which include environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. Oil spillage has killed aquatic life forms such as fish that live close to the surface where oil generally accumulates after spilling from pipelines or tankers.
Oil Spills in Niger can also cause human health problems if people ingest water containing hydrocarbons or eat contaminated foodstuffs like vegetables grown using polluted irrigation waters.. Furthermore, marine organisms are threatened by toxic chemicals released when petroleum is burned off into the air above an oil slick on water’s surface because these substances enter plants and animals through respiration resulting in respiratory disorders.
There is a high incidence of accidental and deliberate petroleum leaks from pipelines, storage tanks, offshore drilling rigs as well as gas flares. Oilmen also report that thieves steal crude by tapping into pipeline networks with any available tools or at times just using sticks to poke holes through old rubber hoses.
This decades-old oil spills in Niger Delta have polluted the water with crude that is now a public health hazard to people living below its surface. The Nigerian government estimates there have been over 2,000 oil spills in Niger Delta, spanning 6000 square kilometers (2187 sq miles). This includes Shell’s Bonga field spill from 2009 which released an estimated volume equivalent to about 1 million barrels per day into surrounding wetlands for 7 days before it was contained by emergency response crews.
Oil spills in Niger Delta have caused a huge environmental disaster. The Niger Delta, which is home to more than 30 million people and hundreds of communities that depend on fishing for their livelihoods, has been exposed to oil pollution from the numerous oil wells discovered there decades ago by Shell Oil Company. An estimated 11 billion gallons of crude were spilt into Nigerian water bodies between 1976-2006, according to NGO Platform.
The impact on wildlife around these areas can be devastating; many species are at risk due to habitat loss or contamination through.
In addition to depleting marine life populations through direct contact with pollutants such as heavy metals like lead and mercury found floating along rivers near spilled areas due to runoff from soil containing these toxic substances are also harmful effects resulting in diseases among residents who live off agricultural produce grown near polluted waters or drink contaminated groundwater that flows beneath open waste pits where refinery petroleum wastes settle (Earth)
This has had major effects on its people- including death due to lack of clean water; health problems such as skin reactions or cancers from contaminated drinking water resulting in weakness through low immunity rates leading to an inability for patients with chronic diseases like cancer treatment medications; contamination caused by poisoning fish populations which led fishermen who depended economically off that income source being unemployed indefinitely.
Historical background of Niger Delta militancy
Militancy in the Niger Delta first emerged as a political response to oppression and Western colonialism when it became apparent that natives were being exploited by foreign powers from Europe or North America who took full advantage of their lands’ potential while refusing to share any profits made back home. The poor people of Nigeria’s Niger delta region have been victims of exploitation for decades by foreign companies and government officials who extract their natural resources at low cost with no regard for environmental consequences or human rights violations such as slavery.
The Delta became increasingly militarized as a result of ethnic unrest and conflicts in the late 1990s such as those involving the Ijaw, Urhobo, and Itsekiri, as well as a peak in the availability of small arms and other weapons.
The December 1998 All Ijaw Youths Conference formalized the Ijaws’ campaign for petroleum resource management with the founding of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the issue of the Kaiama Declaration. In it, long-held Ijaw concerns over the loss of control over their territory and their own lives to the oil firms were coupled with a resolve to direct action. The Ijaws demanded that oil firms cease activities and leave Ijaw territory in a proclamation. The IYC promised to “to struggle peacefully for freedom, self-determination and ecological justice,” and planned Operation Climate Change, a campaign of celebration, prayer, and direct action, beginning from December 28.
That same month,15,000 Nigerian troops and two warships took over Bayelsa and Delta States as the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) braced up for Operation Climate Change.
A minority group within this impoverished area known as Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has taken up arms against these forces through militant tactics such as engaging oil exploration ships off shore and sabotaging pipelines which carry fuel from deep-water drilling platforms onshore–which is only a fraction of how they’ve impacted Nigerian communities over time both economically but also socially since much misinformation about them thrives because it remains obscure what MEND really wanted.
In the years leading up 2003, Warri, Delta State, was the epicenter of regional violence. After the violent confluence of the region’s two major military factions, the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF) led by Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and the Niger Delta Vigilantes (NDV) led by Ateke Tom (both primarily made up of Ijaws), violence shifted to Port Harcourt and surrounding cities. The two organizations overshadow a slew of lesser militias, which are said to number in the hundreds. These organizations are classified as “cults” by the Nigerian government, but many of them began as local university fraternities.
Niger Delta militancy remains a pressing issue in Nigeria. It was not until the 2000s that this group became an international concern, due to their use of violence and kidnappings for ransom as their main tactics. The Niger River lies at the heart of these attacks; it is used by militants to transport oil stolen from pipelines into canoes or small boats before being sold on black market markets where profit margins are lower but anonymity remains high.
This phenomenon had led experts such as Dr Williams Abiri-Muriokyi, who in 2017, suggested that there may be links between militarization in other countries like Sudan with what we see today across West Africa’s coastlines.
In recent years, economic and political disparities have led to increased violence between militants and Nigerian government forces for control over land rich with natural resources like crude oil. Not even creation of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, could pacify the opposition armed groups in the region.
These groups are often supported financially by more developed nations seeking an unfair edge on global markets during periods where we see widespread unrest such as this one today
Insecurity in Niger Delta
These rising agitations have sparked spate of insecurity in the Niger Delta region. The region is often thought of as a place where there’s nothing but violence and chaos.
Although oil from these areas remains one of Nigeria’s top exports, unlike some countries, Niger Delta has not been able to use their natural resources for economic development. So people are forced into lives on the edge by constant gun battles between rival gangs who want control over lucrative pipelines routes they’re already using illegally to make money off illegal sales – so it doesn’t come cheap!
Niger Delta region has been in crisis for decades because it employs many people who work in dangerous conditions and are not paid well. This leads to rampant crime like kidnapping, terrorism, drug trafficking, prostitution rings and more that all pollute this beautiful environment at an alarming rate while taking away from local citizens’ livelihoods which creates high levels of poverty throughout the nation.
This South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria has been tagged one giant black hole—a literal pit where nothing good ever comes out without being corrupted or destroyed beforehand; locals call it “the devil’s kitchen”. Many don’t even know what they want until you ask them if their goal was wealth.
Oil Spills in Niger Delta: Cleanup
Oil spills cleanup could help curb spate of Niger Delta militancy.
The effects of oil spills cleanup on the environment and economy.
There have been several environmental issues in Nigeria over recent years. In 2011, there was a serious oil spill in Niger Delta that caused great damage to wildlife. The cleanup efforts were chaotic because people didn’t want to accept responsibility for for it! There are still many unresolved disputes between companies regarding compensation as well which has led to further delays with this process. This situation is not only damaging both parties’ reputations but also negatively impacting local communities who rely heavily on fishing and farming industries for their livelihoods instead now they can barely make ends meet so tensions continue rising among those affected by these events.
Nigeria’s Niger Delta is known for its rich oil reserves and resources. Unfortunately, it also suffers from the pollution that comes with extensive use of these natural assets. Fortunately, a new technology developed by Dutch company Ultraviolet Technologies BV has been created to clean up Nigeria’s polluted environment in record time through using ultraviolet rays to break down contaminants into non-harmful components and dispose them safely away from land or water sources.
Nigeria is well known worldwide for their vast amount of valuable resources including fossil fuels like our beloved crude oil! However this can cause major environmental problems as seen through polluting waterways such as rivers which lead all the way back home where people drink unsafe water causing terrible health issues (in fact 16%of country’s GDP are.
Oil spills in Niger Delta are bad for the environment and hurt Ogoni people. The pollution is so severe that it can take weeks or months to clean up, depending on how large the spill was. After oil spills in Niger Delta have occurred in their homeland of Nigeria, local residents often struggle with health problems because they were exposed to toxic chemicals like benzene during cleanup efforts.
Oil spills in Niger Delta create a lot of environmental damage when left unattended but cleaning them up after incidents takes time too which affects community members who live near affected areas physically as well as emotionally by exposing them to harmful toxins such as benzine present in crude oils.
Oil spills are not good, but cleaning them up may be a very small thing compared to all that has already happened in Ogoniland. However, it’s still better than doing nothing at all.
Conclusion
The Niger Delta is an area of Nigeria that has seen its share in oil spills and militancy. It’s a complicated region with a long history, but there are ways to curb the problem without resorting to violence or environmental devastation. The Niger Delta region has been plagued with oil spillage and militancy for a long time now. In the past, this was due to bad infrastructure but in recent years it’s become more about political issues that have led to violence. There are many solutions out there that can help curb these problems, including better training of local staff on how to isolate and solve spills as well as improved dialogue between militants and government officials.
Different stakeholders – oil companies, government officials, htllww.pulse.ng/news/local/oil-companies-in-the-niger-delta-accused-of-paying-militants-to-damage-pipelines/855pnx3.amplocal communities – need to work together to make this happen.
