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Oil spills

An Ogoni boy collects seafood in the poluted waters of the delta.
Photo: George Osodi

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.

UNEP report on Ogoni pollution - holding those responsible to account

A report by UNEP on Ogoni has found that the extent of contamination is far greater than has previously been acknowledged.

The Federal Government was informed by UNEP in December last year that oil pollution in the drinking water of Ogale was at 900 times the limit set by the WHO as safe yet no action has been taken.

How oil spills and imported fuel promotes 'illegal' oil refining in the swamps of the Niger Delta

November 2010: A team, headed up by the Environmental Rights Action group (ERA or Friends of the Earth Nigeria), recently visited Okpotuwari and a number of other riverine communities in the Brass Rivers area of Bayelsa State.

During their visit the team witnessed first-hand the environmental and human suffering endured as a result of oil exploration and got a local perspective on the practice of 'illegal' bunkering and refining.

Shell publishes Environmental Impact Assessments but does not go far enough

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) have published Category 1 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for all SPDC projects approved since 2005 on their website. Although this is a welcome move towards greater transparency none of the reports that have been published by Shell relate to the impact assessments of oil spills and other problems related to ageing existing infrastructure.

Civil Society Coalition Calls for a New Compensation Body to Address Oil Spills in the Niger Delta

A Coalition of Civil society groups and individuals have called on Oil companies and the Nigerian Government to recognise that the very nature of oil production is a direct risk to the environment. Therefore, it is their responsibility to set aside funds, which can be administered independently, for dealing with oil spills.

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

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.

SDN Partner CEHRD reports on continuous oil spills in Edagberi community and ineffectual cleanup operations

On 15 August 2009, representatives from the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) visited Edagberi community in Rivers State, Nigeria, to investigate reports of continuous oil spills in the area.

Swimming in crude - Bomu community makes a stand

Bomu is suffering serious environmental problems and economic decline as a result of an oil spillage which has covered almost all parts of Bomu Creek, destroying aquatic life and a vast area of land previously used for farming.