Niger Delta

Niger Delta

1. General Info

   • Africa's leading oil producer
   • 2005, oil production at 131 million tonnes
   • 5 million tonnes exported
     • Worlds 4th largest exporter
     • 90% of countries export value

2. Environmental degradation

   • 4000 oil spills since 1958
     • Niger delta one of the five most polluted places on the planet
     • 500million tonnes of crude oil lost to spillage
       • $10million a day
     • Destroys wildlife, ecosystem and the livelihoods of local people
   • Spill and explosions have caused fires, releasing poisonous gases and crude oil swamped farmlands, forests, rivers and people's homes
     • Crops, fish and livestock died and drinking water contaminated for miler around
   • Causes
     • 6000km of high pressure pipelines criss-cross the Niger Delta
       • Is above ground and corrodes quickly in the hot humid climate, increasing risks of spillage
       • 40-50 years old
     • Locals illegal tapping oil from pipelines
       • 10% of Nigeria's oil lost
       • Companies reluctant to compensate locals for spillages that they created

3. Economic Issues

   • People in the delta benefit little from Nigeria's oil wealth, despite suffering most of the costs
   • 1960, agreed that revenue from exploitation from natural resources would be split evenly between central government and regions, not happened
   • Locals lack the most basic services, no electricity, no running water, no access to health care etc
   • Oil industry has come to dominate the economic base of the delta, exclusion of other economic activities
     • Traditional activities e.g. agriculture and fishing have been lost