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Niger Delta oil spills go unnoticed as the world focusses on the Gulf of Mexico

An Ogoni boy collects seafood from the poluted creeks of the Niger Delta
Photo: George Osodi

Shell recently acknowledged in its annual report that it lost 14,000 tonnes of oil (approximately 100,000 barrels) from it's pipelines and operations in the Niger Delta last year.

Shell claims that a majority of its spillages in 2009 were caused by thieves and militant activity although a sizeable percentage is likely to have been caused by operational failures such as corroded pipes and ageing infrastructure.

Nigeria has one of the most dysfunctional oil pipeline networks in the world. In the decade since 1999, official figures put the number of breaks and leaks in the lines at an average of 1,598 a year.

Many of these spills are relatively small but still have a devastating impact on the mangrove forests and on the livelihoods of people who rely on them for agriculture and fishing.

SDN is aware of many oil spills in communities across the Delta region last year. These spills often did not get the international attention or the resources and manpower seen being deployed by BP and the US Government in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result SDN hears of continuous oil spills and those that have not been cleared up properly if at all.

The latest revelations highlight the massive difference in the response to oil spills depending on where they occur.

The response to the spill in the United States (and BP's massive liability) should serve as a stiff reminder as to how far spill management in Nigeria has drifted from accepted international standards.