As the world looks toward the Western hemisphere and its swirling despair in the Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria’s delta region blinks back in disbelief at the extent of its underexposure of the same plight. In fact, Nigeria has suffered oil spill disasters of a greater frequency, with magnitudes equal to Exxon-Valdez annually for half a century.
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa at 148 million people, although its geographic area is a fraction of the state of Texas. Nigeria is also the continent’s biggest oil exporter and can boast the largest natural gas reserves. Adam Nossiter of the New York Times wrote a June 17 article highlighting just how extreme the conditions currently are for the fuel-rich yet environmental and human rights-scourged nation. Nigeria depends heavily on its oil fields for economic stability, which means that governments, interest groups, and a host of environmental and human rights organizations all vie for attention when issues arise. The greatest issue of modern times has and continues to be the apparent underexposure of gross environmental degradation Nigeria suffers due to its desired resources.
Wherever environments are ruined, human suffering is close behind, especially for a nation where the primary sources of revenue are intricately linked to the viability of their shores, forests, water systems, and arable land. The stark contrast of “rich” resources lying below an impoverished citizenry is not lost when one considers the high instances of scandal and corruption gaining attention within the Nigerian government.
Oil companies like Shell, Exxon Mobil, and BP are well acquainted with the high costs of contamination and the repercussions for local citizens when mining for precious resources hits a detour. The latter, BP, is currently embroiled in a large-scale cleanup and subsequent review of their whole operation at the Gulf of Mexico thanks to public pressure for BP executives to come clean (which involves constant news coverage, YouTube video feedback, and locals taking to the radio waves chronicling their own personal struggles to keep their fishing businesses afloat).
The Obama administration has taken BP to task in federal court demanding financial reimbursement for the cleanup and loss of livelihood and environmental integrity in the region, with marked, if not immediate results. It will take more time and constant monitoring to see what the long-term damage is to humans and environments alike.
In contrast to Louisiana, there are virtually no news cameras doing around-the-clock feeds of the state of the Niger Delta. Dubbed the world capital of oil pollution (air, water, and soil), Nigeria is mired from its mangrove swamps to its halls of government. Recent world headlines broke open a scandal in 2007 implicating retired naval officers in illegal bunkering schemes that gave access to petrol traffickers while they were still part of the armed forces. This news served to reveal the close relationship between illegal civilian, military, and foreign interests that make transparency difficult.
Shell Oil, the major player in the Delta, attributes 98 percent of the over 7,000 oil spills between 1970 and 2000 to vandalism, theft, and sabotage by militants, and only a minimal amount to deteriorated infrastructure. There are no nationally sanctioned investigations following these spills in Nigeria, or enough regard for the independent watchdog groups who require frank dialogue between the impoverished citizens and oil industry bigwigs.
To its credit, the Federal High Court of Nigeria issued a stop order against gas flares in the oil fields of the Niger Delta in November 2005. The order stated that the flares were unnecessary and in violation of constitutional human rights to health and dignity. Major oil companies listed in the order were Shell, ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, and others. The order plainly stated that these companies were engaging in illegal activities, and that their practices were out of line with the current laws regarding drilling and waste generation. The situation has not changed much in five years, except that some documentaries are now making headlines and pointing out stark realities.
There is a clear need for more corporate accountability, since Shell Oil, the largest contender for energy profits and infrastructure control in the Niger Delta avoids independent monitoring, keeping relevant data away from the public. The overall impression is that outside of the United States, oil companies are above international and local laws regarding extraction, regulation, and safe practices.
Two recently released documentaries illustrate the need for more awareness and examination of this phenomenon. One film, Crude, chronicles an indigenous Ecuadorean tribe’s 13-year battle with Texaco to take responsibility for damaging their waterways, health, and livelihood. Crude, directed by Joe Berlinger, garnered worldwide respect and accolades at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Sweet Crude, directed by Berlinger’s former classmate Sandy Cioffi, is about Nigeria’s political struggle in the face of pollution by a large company that provides a large source of revenue for the nation. Her approach invests heavily on the belief that the presence of the media at strategic events in history worldwide has a direct impact on the results of these important historic events.
Ultimately, Nigeria needs to focus its economic development on its human capital, lessening the dependence upon the oil industry. The government of this nation needs improvement in stamping out corruption and unholy ties to corporations that do not take the citizens’ interests seriously, thus undermining the very nation a large percentage of first-world countries rely upon to keep their own systems running (on fuel, that is).
More media coverage and grassroots support is necessary in order to have a fair and balanced perspective on Nigeria’s varying problems. Christians versus Muslims, ethnic disaccord and uneven disparity between the rich and poor exacerbates the environmental damage Nigeria endures, but unless more organizations turn their eyes on the Delta, even America might miss some important lessons about the intricate links between the health and prosperity of a people and the health of the land.
Sources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/Nigeria/Background.html
http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2010/06/17/127917637/easy-oil-hard-oil-and-nigeria-s-lesson
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/movies/18ande.html?_r=1&ref=movies
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?scp=1&sq=nigeria,%20oil&st=cse
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10649775&pnum=3
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