ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF OIL SPILLAGE IN NIGERIA BY ARCHIBONG UBONG

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Environmental pollution from oil spills in Nigeria is of great concern because of the apparent deficiency of efficient control measures and regulations. As with most developing countries, in an attempt to improve domestic per capita income and improve the standard of living of its citizens, industrialization is embraced in its entirety, while environmental quality is left on the back burner, or dispensed with altogether;1 This has been the situation in Nigeria with respect to the oil industry, and its effects on the environment. Environmental pollution from oil industry related activities take various forms, the most rampant being oil spills from oil fields, pipelines and storage tanks. Millions of barrels of oil have been spilled, since the commencement of petroleum exploration in Nigeria, and in some instances, reaching as high as 600 spills per year.2 Economically, this is a staggering loss for the country, only matched by the devastating havoc such spills and leakages wreck on the fragile mangrove environment, and the interdependent ecosystems. Crude oil, also known as petroleum is of various elements combined in a variety of forms, its main constituents are carbon and hydrogen which combine to form hydrocarbons,3 nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur and heavy metals such as vanadium and nickel are also present in petroleum mixtures.4 When oil is spilled, the less resistant compounds or elements evaporate, or are decomposed or bio-degraded by micro- organisms in the environment; however, other persistent pollutants such as heavy metals do not bio-degrade or decompose for long periods of time, thereby accumulating over time in soil or water

Onah R. Ogri A review of the Nigerian petroleum industry and the associated environmental problems (2001), The Environmentalist, volume 21, pages 11-21 2 Refer to the oil spill data 3 The Association for Environmental Health Sciences, TPH Working Group Series on-line, Volume 2: Composition of Petroleum Mixtures, 1998, Thomas L. Potter Kathleen E. Simmons. 4 th J. G. Speight The chemistry and technology of petroleum of Chemical industries (Florida; CRC Press, 4 edition, 2006) chapter 1 page 14-15. Resume

bodies.5 For example, a scientific study performed in the oil producing area (Warri) of the Niger- Delta, revealed significant quantities of heavy metals like chromium, lead, nickel and cadmium in the soil samples.6 Heavy metals are absorbed by plants through their roots, and consumed by animals7 and humans through their diet,8 in high concentrations; they may act as enzyme inhibitors, be carcinogenic, and disrupt metabolic functions in the body.9

In the Niger- delta, persistent oil spills from oilfields and from the network of pipelines transporting crude oil and refined products, pollutes the creeks and destroys many hectares of fragile mangrove swamps, forests and farmland interfering with the use and enjoyment of the land by local inhabitants, who depend on fishing and subsistence farming for their livelihood.10 A decline in soil quality takes place, due to the leaching of petroleum and its byproducts, making it less fertile, thereby reducing the overall yield of crops. Oil spills from oil fields often runs off into streams, rivers and other water bodies, affecting the sources of drinking water and contaminating fishing creeks leading to the destruction of fish and other marine life. Constant exposure to petroleum and its constituents could lead to accumulation of harmful elements in the tissues of living aquatic organisms, for example, a

The Association for Environmental Health Sciences, TPH Working Group Series on-line; Volume 2: Composition of Petroleum Mixtures, Thomas L. Potter Kathleen E. Simmons 1998, see also Volume 1: Analysis of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Environmental Media Wade Weisman, 1998 6 P.A. Essoka, A.E. Ubogu, L. Uzu, An overview of oil pollution and heavy metal concentration in Warri area, Nigeria (2006) Management of Environmental Quality, An International Journal, Vol. 17 Issue: 2 p209-215 7 B. O. Otuya E. E. Akporohnor F. I. Achuba Determination of heavy metals in toads exposed to oil polluted environment (Ekpan) Delta State, Nigeria (2008) The Environmentalist, volume 28:405408 8 G. E. Eriyamremu, S. O. Asagba, I. A. Akpoborie, S. I. Ojeaburu, Evaluation of Lead and Cadmium Levels in Some Commonly Consumed Vegetables in the Niger-Delta Oil Area of Nigeria (2005) Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, volume 75, pages 278283 9 See note above 10 Ogri, Onah R., A review of the Nigerian petroleum industry and the associated environmental problems (2001) The Environmentalist, Vol. 21 Issue: 1 p11-21 Resume

Study carried out on a species of catfish in an oil polluted creek, showed bio-accumulation of heavy metals in the tissues of the organism, making it unfit for consumption as a food source.11 Environmental and economic sustainability are one of the major issues that arise from the incessant oil spillages in the Delta, environmentally, oil spillages leads to an overall loss in biodiversity of the fragile wetland ecosystem of mangrove swamps and forests,12 economically, dependence on natural resources by the local population is the main means of sustenance, the local people continue to suffer economic loss,13 especially loss of income, due to incessant oil spills, which has brought them into conflict with the oil companies and the government. It has therefore been suggested that to ensure the overall sustainability of the area, the ecological and the socio-economic factors, should be taken into consideration, using one factor alone as a yardstick will exclude the other,14 on the other hand, the local people will support the sustainable biodiversity conservation of the area, when their socio economic problems have been solved, therefore, the proper management of resource development is most crucial in sustaining the Niger Delta ecosystem and the human population resident in the region.15

K. Opuene E. C. Okafor I. E. Agbozu, Accretion of heavy metals in the catfish Bagrus bayad from Taylor Creek, southern Nigeria (2009) The Environmentalist volume 29, pages 441447 12 The Niger delta is reputed to be the largest in Africa, with a landmass of over 70,000 km, and cutting through about 800 communities. See, Collins N C Ugochukwu and Jrgen Ertel Negative impacts of oil exploration on biodiversity management in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, volume 26(2), June 2008, pages 139147 13 P. O. Phil-Eze I. C. Okoro Sustainable biodiversity conservation in the Niger Delta: a practical approach to conservation site selection Biodiversity Conservation (2009) volume 18 pages 12471257 14 For example, using ecological criteria alone will exclude the local people; on the other hand, using socioeconomic parameters alone will exclude the ecosystems and organisms that need to be sustained. See note above. 15 N. Chukumeka Hemanachi Onu, The Oil Rich Niger Delta Region: A Framework for Improved Performance of the Nigerian Regulatory Process Ambio Vol. 32 No. 4, June 2003, http://www.ambio.kva.se Resume

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