FACTS AND FIGURES: OIL POLLUTION, OCEANIFICATION, AND ECOLOGICAL HAZARDS IN NIGERIA;- 

THE NIGER DELTA EXPERIENCE.

 The Niger Delta Region is the host of Multinational oil companies in Nigeria.  It supplies about 90 percent of crude

oil and gas resources, which form the plank of the Nigeria’s mono cultural economy.  The region is riddled with

paradoxes, for in spite of its colossal contributions to the economic viability of Nigeria; the Niger Delta is the

 third largest wetland in the world covering about 700,000 square kilometers.  The region spread over a number

of delicate ecological zone, which include sandy coastal ridge barriers, saline mangroves, fresh water swamp

and low land rain forest.

The mainstay of the people is subsistence fishing, farming and petty trading.  The ecosystem susceptible to

seasonal changes and tidal influences hence natural phenomenon such as devastating flood, organic pollution,

water hyacinth and oceanification which could be referred to as ocean encroachment.  But what has added a

dangerous dimension to these hazards is gas flaring and oil pollution of the sea resulting from activities of Multinational

Oil Companies (MNC).  More than ever, the oil belt conjures a magnified picture of instability occasioned by pervasive

poverty, stagnation, environmental degradation and criminal neglect.

Gas Flaring in one of the numerous offshore flow stations in the ocean      Gas flaring in one of the numerous flow stations

in inland coastal areas.

Niger Delta vegetation suffers from Oil fire disaster.

TABLE 1.

SOURCES AND SCALE OF OIL POLLUTION INPUT INTO THE MARINE

ENVIRONMENT

Note: +,-, and ? mean, respectively, presence, absence, and uncertainty of corresponding

parameters.

The complaints of the people are no doubt germane that there is a grand conspiracy between the structurally

truncated and fiscally skewed federalism to deliberately frog leap the concept of sustainable development,

vicious propaganda of “Youths Restiveness”, Sabotage pipeline.  One major instrument in the hands of the

 MNCs is the vicious propaganda that the youths in the oil rich region engage in “Sabotage”, “piracy”.  Pipeline

vandalization and restiveness.  And sadly too, the oil bloc and metropolitan Government in Europe and America

 have accepted the dummy without reservation. The propaganda of the Federal government has provided

welcome excuses for pillaging and wanton militarization of the Federal government has provided welcome

 excuses for pillaging and wanton militarization of the region.  Thus, while the people are subjected to most

crude form of exploitation by the MNCs; Shell Petroleum Development Company, Agip, Chevron Texaco and Mobil. 

The Federal Government in collaboration with metropolitan Europe and America administer measures doses of death

by installment through environmental degradation, deliberate impoverishment and militarization.

               Militarization of Niger Delta by the Nigerian Government as a pretext for protecting oil pipelines

            TABLE 2.

ESTIMATES OF GLOBAL INPUTS OF OIL POLLUTION INTO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Note: * - [NRC, 1985]; ** - [Kornberg, 1981]; *** - [GESAMP, 1993]

Source: Stanislay Patin, translation by Elena Cascio. Based on environmental impact of the offshore

Oil and Gas Industry.

 Data summarized by S.M. Konovalov (Konovalov, 1995) suggest that global oil input into the world

Ocean which is 20 million tons a year, and pollution caused by tankers accounts for 50% of it.

Annually about 6,500 tankers transport more than 1.2 billions tons of oil and oil products.

In spite of the fact that the latter estimate are considerably higher than the one based on official

statistics (Table 2) they have not been refuted thus far. This raises serious concerns about the actual

levels of oil pollution in different marine region and in the World Ocean in general.

It must be remembered that catastrophes, in spite of the obvious consequences and all the attention

 they attract, are inferior other sources of oil pollution in their scales and degree of environmental hazard

. Land based oil containing discharges and atmospheric deposition of products of incomplete

combustion can accordingly give 50% and 13% of the total volume of oil pollution into the World

Ocean. See (Table 2). These diffuse sources continuously create relatively low but persistent chronic

contamination over huge areas. Many aspects of chemical composition and biological impacts of these

contaminants remain unknown.

Mr Nengi James handing over speech to Hon Ken Kayama,              Hon Ken Kayama, (then commissioner for Youth and

Sports)   

(Then commissioner for Youth and Sports) while                                address participants at the Oceanification campaign

programme

DR Napoleon Wesley and Comerade Ben Basuo

(State chairman NLC) Watches on .

The Niger Delta Question

It was Nengi James (2002) who aptly and graphically lamented the plight of the Delta people.  He said:

“For forty five (45) years the Nigerian State in collaboration with

foreign Multinational Companies have been criminally carrying

out crude oil exploration and exploitation activities in the Niger

Delta Region, leaving in their trail a tale of woe exacerbated by

Environmental and ecological disaster, abject poverty, disease,

Illiteracy, hunger, unemployment and stagnation”

Site of Nigeria’s first oil well, where oil was first discovered in 1956 in Itokopori (Oloibiri)

in the present Ogbia L.G.A in  Bayelsa State of Nigeria.

The above statement clearly shows that the mining of Crude Oil, which started in 1956 by shell, marked the genesis of the catastrophe which the Niger Delta people have had to go through.  Since the intensification of oil exploratory and exploitation, in the Niger Delta Region, several oil-producing communities have been visited with grave consequences.  Among these communities in the core Niger Delta Region include Nembe, Eket, Ibeno, Egbema-Angalabiri, Eletugbene, Oporoma, Olugbobiri, Kalabilema, Ekowe, Imiringi, Biseni to mention just a few.  Ecological disaster which has become common place include earth tremor, pipeline corrosion or engineering error and gas flaring which possesses great health hazard to the people living in the oil bearing communities.

         Oil production in part of Niger Delta Coastal Area in Nigeria                  Oil spill in a river , destroying the aquatic habitat and

ecosystem

What is Oceanification?

Oceanification is a term used to designate the encroachment of Ocean on both non-human and man’s existing

 land areas.  The encroachment of ocean especially the Atlantic Ocean, which is being washed away or degrades

 farmlands, infrastructures and communities – where the soils are fragile and the vegetation is being tampered by

human activities. 

Map of World Oceans and Seas

The affected areas are inhabited by over 20 million people across the Niger Delta Coast, along with millions of

persons are directly affected in other part of the world.

Effects of oceanification (Okpokona-Abadi) in Odioma      Effects of oceanification at Okpoama            Infrastructures

Overtaken by Flood in

                                                                                                                                                Adagbabiri

The entire land areas in the coastal axis near the Oceans are being threatened by oceanification and millions

of tons of soil (physical land) disappear daily.  It has been observed that from 1996 to 2004 alone, flooding have

 been responsible for major water diseases, and disasters and deaths as well as property worth millions of naira

if not dollars and Pounds have been lost.  Recently, 560 persons were reported dead as a result of flooding in China.

                                    Effects of ocean surge

What are the causes of Oceanification?

Oceanification is a natural weather and climatic variation and from human interference on the barrier Island. 

Moreso, oceanification is being intensified by the Multinational Oil and Gas Companies (MNC’s) operating in

the offshore, together with the aggressive activities of deforestation by companies and individuals as well as

other socio-economic cum political factors.  Meanwhile, high water tide which last for months create flooding that

affects farmlands, and fishing settlements, ponds and dwelling homes.  The lack of marine and coastal management

and inappropriate environmental management also contribute to oceanification.

   Ocean waves that causes Oceanification       Ocean vessels that discharges pollutants into the ocean.

Report shows that the most intense tanker traffic exists in the Atlantic Ocean and its seas, which accounts

for 38% of international maritime oil transportation (Monina, 1991).

The Impacts of Oceanification

In Africa, especially in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, ocean encroachment renders people homeless,

particularly in the coastal towns and communities closer to the ocean.  These communities are ravaged by crisis,

hunger and poverty as a result of Oceanification.  Niger Delta Indigenes in these areas are seriously threatened

by the Ocean Encroachment and flooding including Global Warming and its Green House Effects

 and the people living these affected areas are forced to move from one place to the other for livelihood.

These migration is a serious consequence which has caused the quest for land tussle thereby causing

communal conflicts and mass population drift to urban cities and elsewhere abroad.

     Residential building  taken over by flood            Victims of flooding rendered homeless

Environmental Impact

It has been observed that the continuous emission of dangerous greenhouse  gases by the oil and gas

companies offshore discharges and tampering of barrier trees has made the communities and the people to experience unbearable environmental and health hazards arising from oceanification and flooding.

           Barrier trees affected by deforestation                     Emission of dangerous gas into the air by oil firms

at offshore

                                                                                                 flow station

Economic Impact

Oceanification has economic consequence in as much as land is needed by man for socio-economic needs. 

To fight against land degradation is very expensive that only Lagos lagoon reclamation cost the Nigeria

 Government billions of naira annually.  Yet Victoria Island which is close to the Lagoon is not safe as the

 issue has not been practically addressed.  And in Bayelsa State, the cost of reclaiming land only cost the

 government 20 million Naira monthly, and even more according to the government.

A fishing settlement amongst the numerous fishing environment at the bank of the Atlantic Ocean in Bayelsa

State that serves fishes to parts of Nigeria, will soon join the Ocean as 2/3 of it has been washed away already

The threat of Oceanification

Oceans are threatened by oceanification.  The recent Tsunami disaster in Asia is still fresh in the minds of many

in the world.  The Tsunami disaster raises serious concern to various governments of the world and this should

 be a lesson to the Nigeria Government also, since many communities in the Niger Delta are on the Atlantic coast

 where the Niger River divides numerous tributaries.  Particularly in Bayelsa many communities have been

washed away by the Atlantic Ocean such towns and villages are threatened by imminent extinction. 

 Twon-Brass an important historic town is at the verge of annihilation.  Even the graveyard where scores

of British victims of the Anglo-Nembe war (Akassa Raid) of the 1895 were buried not saved by the scourge of

 Oceanification, other ancient towns, such as Koluama, Bonny, Sangana, Odioma, Queens town, Okpoama,

Famgbe, Ogulagha, Eastern  Obolo etc. are all being encroached upon by the Atlantic Ocean.

Grave yard of British victims of 1895

Nembe revolution (Akassa Raid)  in Twon-Brass

will soon be part of the Atlantic Ocean

Oceanification is akin to desertification (desert encroachment) and equity demands that both environmental

problems be accorded urgent attention and equal government priority.  The impact of Oceanification on the Niger

Delta region is grave.  Whole communities are being washed away by the ocean thereby rendering millions of

inhabitants homeless.  Many people have been displaced as a result of the scourge.  The situation has been

aggravated by the invasion of the oceans through the rubrics of oil and gas operations and production off-shores. 

The devastation of the economic livelihood of the inhabitants has precipitated what may be referred to as

 “survival dilemma in the region”.

Environmental degradation and Health hazards from Oil

production activities by Oil firms in the Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Mr. Nengi James – a human rights crusader and environmentalist championed the policy advocacy and

campaign against the oceanification and the need by the MNC,s.  To make conscious efforts to curb the scourge,

which constitute a major threat to the survival of the Niger Delta people, the environmentalist organized a

workshop in 2002 to create awareness on the need to stem the tide of ocean encroachment.

                                Niger Delta youths in Bayelsa State pose for pix during the campaign against Oceanification

                                in Niger Delta, Nigeria

At the workshop, he buttressed the fact that “there is an unholy alliance between the Federal Government and

 the MCN’s to exploit the oil and gas resources without sustaining the fragile ecology of the Niger Delta. 

 This is evidenced in the lack of coastal road networks, coastal and marine management, electricity,

potable water, shore protection and needed socio-economic and educational infrastructure. 

 There are grandiose and fundamental breaches of the social and economic rights of the Niger Delta people,

as provided in the United Nations Charter, the African union and the Africans to these charters”  (Nengi James 2003).

Buildings in Abuja, Nigeria.

How Oil and Gas wealth from the Niger Delta turn virgin lands to beautiful cities like Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja etc.

The picture above shows buildings in Abuja while the pictures below shows the buildings in Kaiama in Niger Delta,

Nigeria.

“The difference is clear, the choice is yours”.  No wonder the people of Niger Delta are agitating for

100% resource control, ownership and management in the Nigerian state.

Buildings in Kaiama Town, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

He further remarked, the Niger Delta people Rights and Resources are abused and stolen, the MNC’s

repatriate huge profits to the same countries that claim to be crusading for the Rights of the developing

countries in donating foreign aids in one breath, and in another promoting inequity, exploitation, militarization

 and peddling negative propaganda.  At the same time, the Western Capitalist Countries surreptitiously

claim to be promoting human rights and entrenching democratic institutions around the world.

Consequently, the issue of oceanification cannot be compared to what some scholars called coastal or marine

erosion because the havoc caused by oceanification is grave that scientist and environmental experts have

 not found a practical solution to solve the increasing devastation in the Niger Delta region and elsewhere in

 the world. This is a challenge for the 21^st century scientist and environmental experts to save the scarce land

 and the poor people living in the developing nations especially Nigeria and indeed the Niger Delta region, if human

survival will not be put in danger.

Moreso, based on the extinction of several settlements, infrastructures and communities along the bank of the

Atlantic and the seas, in addition with the recent Tsunami disaster that occurred in parts of Asia where thousand

of persons died, have attracted  the attention of Niger Delta Development Monitoring and Corporate Watch

 (NIDDEMCOW) to reflect on oceans and oceanification as part of the group activities to sympathize with their

counter part who are equally suffering from a similar ecological disaster called desert encroachment also referred

 to as desertification and drought which is internationally commemorated on every 17^th June by the United Nations.

 It is this reason that NIDDEMCOW celebrates its first ever anniversary on 17^th June, 2005 to reflect on the theme

Oceanification and flooding in Nigeria: The Niger Delta Experience.

The waves that caused ocean quake – Tsunami - in parts of Asia.

Infact, NIDDEMOCOW declared every 17^th June, to create awareness on ocean encroachment, also will be

 used as a platform for policy advocacy to call on the United Nations and similar organizations to set aside a

day to commemorate the event internationally to avert possible ocean earthquake and Tsunami like disaster and

other related dangers arising from ocean encroachment and sea tremor on viable land in the world which is

 becoming a global challenge..

Also it is on record that several communities, farm land and fishing settlements were taken over by the ocean

waters, resulting in deaths and destruction of properties as a result of climate change (Global Warming)

and rising of the sea level. Meanwhile, the people living in these areas are now living in fear as their socio-economic

 means of livelihood is hampered and communities affected by the ocean encroachment and flooding.

 Equally, Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations (UN) conventions on the laws of the Seas (1,2,3) that

 provides opportunity for communities and states near the oceans to own and claim 200  Nautical miles offshore

of its territorial zone. It is therefore, a clarion  call on the Nigerian Government to allow states to claim ownership of

resources in and around the 200 Nautical miles zone, since these state and people suffer from negative effects of

 both Natural and man-made hazards. The Niger Delta states government should also use their Ministries,

Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) to embark on international and local conferences and workshops to attract

attention on the ocean encroachment (Oceanification) and other related hazards happing in the deltaic areas of

Nigeria. The Oil companies operating along the maritime areas in Niger Delta should be compelled to pay adequate

 compensation on environmental pollution to communities in these territorial areas according to internationally

accepted standards. The National Assembly should enact laws that will tackle the situation and strengthen

existing institution of government to carry out their duties to alleviate the plight of the people living at the Bank

 of the Atlantic Ocean.

 NENGI JAMES

Executive Director, Niger Delta Development Monitoring and Corporate Watch

nigerdeltaaffairs@yahoo.com

GSM: 234-8033428267, 08038697958, 08051953727