CONTENTS
Section I
......................................................................................................................7
1.
Introduction......................................................................................................................................................7
1.1.
Background............................................................................................................................................9
1.2.
The oil industry in the niger delta........................................................................................................11
1.3.
Pollution and human rights.................................................................................................................12
2.
Pollution and environmental damage in the niger delta................................................................................14
2.1.
Oil spills...............................................................................................................................................14
2.2.
Disposal of waste.................................................................................................................................17
2.3.
Gas flaring...........................................................................................................................................18
2.4.
Seismic surveys and the construction of roads and pipelines.............................................................18
2.5.
Dredging..............................................................................................................................................19
2.6.
Inadequate clean up prolongs problems..............................................................................................19
2.7.
Cumulative impact...............................................................................................................................20
Section II......................................................................................................................................................................21
3.
The human rights impacts of oil pollution.....................................................................................................21
3.1.
Pollution of water bodies......................................................................................................................25
3.2.
Damage to fisheries.............................................................................................................................26
3.3.
Damage to farms and natural resources.............................................................................................30
3.4.
The right to food...................................................................................................................................32
3.5.
The rights to work and to an adequate standard of living...................................................................34
3.6.
The right to health and the right to a healthy environment.................................................................34
4.
Evading responsibility....................................................................................................................................39
4.1.
The state’s duty to protect...................................................................................................................39
4.2.
The absentee government: failure to protect rights.............................................................................40
4.3.
Corporate responsibility.......................................................................................................................56
Section III.....................................................................................................................................................................64
5.
Access to justice and the right to remedy......................................................................................................64
5.1.
Clean up of oil spills............................................................................................................................65
5.2.
Remediation.........................................................................................................................................68
5.3.
Financial compensation.......................................................................................................................70
5.4.
Court actions........................................................................................................................................74
5.5.
Other aspects of remedy......................................................................................................................78
6.
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................................79
7.
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................82
7.1.
To the President and the National Assembly.........................................................................................82
7.2.
To the National Assembly......................................................................................................................84
7.3.
To companies........................................................................................................................................84
7.4 .
To governments of home states............................................................................................................86
ENDNOTES....................................................................................................................................................................87
Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................................................109
Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................................................119
Appendix 3.................................................................................................................................................................122
Appendix 4.................................................................................................................................................................139
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