Self Sabotage

The inhabitants of the Niger Delta perceive the oil companies as being to blame for the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta. They blame the flaring of gas and oil spills for destroying their traditional means of existence and causing significant long term deprivation to their environment and health. This deprivation has 'pushed many to the wall' and at times they feel they 'are forced to react' to the oil production that is killing their land and traditional means of livelihood.

Obvious changes noted by many included the significant reduction in available fish stocks, once plentiful rivers are now described as "almost barren of life", and there is a reported visible reduction in the amount and quality of tuba yams, both staple food stocks of the population. This environmental degradation, combined with a dependency mentality has led to food production reducing in the Niger Delta. Many youths are not bothering to follow in the destroyed family footsteps of agriculture and fishing and are instead migrating to the towns in search of work. This, some would say forced, migration to the cities is increasing the numbers of urban unemployed youths, who can be sucked into patronage networks and get involved in corrupt and violent practices as they search for avenues of social mobility.

The above perceptions that are portrayed as realities in the Niger Delta have resulted in a vast majority of the population viewing the oil majors and oil as a curse. The reality is that it is currently impossible to accurately state as fact that the oil majors operations in the Niger Delta are responsible for widespread environmental degradation and health deficiencies. However, this is not important to the population of the Niger Delta, in their eyes this is a closed case. Gas flares dominate the local landscape of many Niger Delta communities. These flares unremittingly pump flames into the air, the effects of which are un-proved, yet clear for all to see. Oil spills also regularly devastate the land, but for how long and to what extent is widely unknown. The ambiguities between what the locals believe and oil companies can claim must end. An independent health and environment assessment of the Niger Delta as called for 10 years ago by the UN must be conducted as rapidly as possible. If oil companies are involved, the perceived credibility of the study would be severally jeopardised.

The flaring of associated gas (AG) has been illegal since 1984; however the failings of the Nigerian state government to hold the oil companies to account and undertake their own share of implementing the reforms necessary to end the vast amounts of pollution AG creates is systematic of the failings in the Niger Delta. The feeling is that the oil companies would rather continue to pay the rather paltry fines in relation to the potential income the gas could generate. Aside from the vast regional income that could be generated from AG, it could also provide a source of a much needed local energy supply. The deforestation of the surrounding environment of the Delta is another serious environmental concern. It really is believed that the formation of AG plants, if developed properly, could result in a significant change to the lifestyle of the population of the Niger Delta. With this in mind, it was widely recognised that even those oil majors who have undermined their perceived social licence to operate efficiently would receive adequate space to deliver, if the new AG plants were incorporated as part of a new approach to long term development of the Niger Delta based on regular community consultations and local ownership of legitimate economic opportunities.

Few believe that recent promises by all companies to end all gas flaring by 2009 will be met; they expect this target will be missed just like all the others in the past. It is not just unacceptable to continue to flare gas at a local level, gas flaring of this scale is not carried out any where else in the world and it is deemed to be the largest single contributor to greenhouse gases released within Africa. It is recognised by all that look into it the successful conversion of AG into a useable entity should be a 'win win' situation for all involved. Individuals need to act in order to drag the corporations and state along in order to make the necessary investments.

The other major environmental bone of contention is oil spills in the Niger Delta. Again the full impacts of such spills are not fully known, but are clear for all to see. The failure of oil majors to uphold, and the Nigerian state to enforce, recognised standards on pipe replacement and maintenance is a major cause of oil spills. The other major source of spills is the effect of either the bunkering of oil, or sabotage in an attempt to gain local clean up contract rights. This short term mentality is representative of many individuals focus in the region, community cohesion and mutual support for change must be promoted.