Background Information
The Niger Delta is a densely populated region with abundant natural resources including good weather, fertile ground for agriculture and also known to be the largest oil producing zone in the country and has been the center of international controversy over pollution.
The Niger Delta region is located in the south-south zone of Nigeria and comprises of nine states, namely; Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.
One of the major professions in the Niger Delta region is farming.
Although the region is widely known for oil and gas, it is also blessed with agricultural resources; as the fertile land also provides a wide range of economic trees and agricultural resources, including oil palm, coconut etc. This highlights the agricultural potentials of the region and by extension its development potentials.
However, when oil seeps into the ground and spreads off into nearby farms or swamps reaching the roots zone, the soil is then weakened and plants begin to experience stress and possible death. With this effect, people in this region have limited supply of agricultural resources which causes food shortages and low income which will lead to hunger and poverty as a result.
Currently, the communities in the region are experiencing high levels of insecurity and instability due to lack of development of land affected by oil.
Strategy for the community groups to use to successfully advocate for environmental justice in relation to the impacts of the fossil fuel production and use.
Some community members should prevent access to oil spills using protest and the threat of violence.
The community should take a proactive and public stand against individuals or groups who engage in illegal activities such as bunkering and artisanal refining.
Proper town planning of these communities should take residential areas, farmlands etc far from oil well sites to minimise effect on the individual members of the communities and the communities at large.
Environmental Guidelines and Standards for Petroleum Industry (EGASPIN) provides a risk based framework where risk assessment is conducted; this risk assessment requires the development of a Conceptual Site Model(CSM) that identifies the linkages of the pollutants. Therefore, the community groups should take full advantage of the opportunities that will be created by these developments.
