A Systematic Review of the Impacts of Oil Spillage on Residents of Oil-Producing Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Oil spillage is common in oil-producing communities of Nigeria and it impacts negatively on the lives of the residents of these communities. This study analysed available research data on oil spillage incidents in these communities to determine the main causes of the spillage and its impacts on the residents. A systematic review of published studies was carried out and 20 studies were identified from the literature search. The main causes of oil spills were identified as sabotage, oil theft, illegal refining, mystery spill, operational failures, and corrosion. Over 70% of the spillages were discovered to be as a result of sabotage by restive youths. Oil spillage was found to impact on the health, source of livelihood, food security, basic amenities, and socio-economic state of the residents. The major interventions were initiated by multinational companies and were targeted at improving health services, education, infrastructure, skill acquisition, and employment, which will in turn reduce the occurrence of violence, insurgency, and human trafficking in the oil-producing communities. This study highlights the immediate and long-term consequences of oil spills on the residents of oil-host communities in Nigeria. The causes of the spills were attributed mainly to the inaction of government regulatory agencies in oil exploration. Thus, it is recommended that government regulatory agencies should be revamped and repositioned to effectively perform their duties. Interventions should be targeted at addressing the causes of the agitation of the indigenes by involving them in the decision-making process. Also, an appropriate remediation strategy should be adopted to clean up the oil spills.

Survey of Wastewater Issues Due to Oil Spills and Pollution in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria: A Secondary Data Analysis

“…These resources constitute over 90% of the country's export earnings and approximately 80% of its government revenue (Akpotor, 2019;Bodo & Gimah, 2020;Ite et al, 2018;Kadafa et al, 2012). The Nigerian economy heavily relies on the oil and gas industry, which contributes over 90% of its revenues and approximately 45% of its GDP, indicating that the country's economic and political stability are intrinsically tied to crude oil, making it crucial to its survival (Ezeh et al, 2023). The oil industry has been a key driver of Nigeria's economic growth and development, with revenues from the sector nancing various infrastructural projects, social services, and other government initiatives (Ikhumetse et al, 2022;Wilson, 2012).…”

Survey of wastewater issues due to oil spills and pollution in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria: a secondary data analysis

“…These resources constitute over 90% of the country's export earnings and approximately 80% of its government revenue (Ite et al 2018;Kadafa et al 2012). The Nigerian economy heavily relies on the oil and gas industry, which contributes over 90% of its revenues and approximately 45% of its GDP, indicating that the country's economic and political stability are intrinsically tied to crude oil, making it crucial to its survival (Ezeh et al 2023). The oil industry has been a key driver of Nigeria's economic growth and development, with revenues from the sector financing various infrastructural projects, social services, and other government initiatives (Wilson 2012).…”

“…From 2015 to March 2021, NOSDRA documented 4919 oil spills, with 308 attributed to operational maintenance, 3628 to sabotage, and 70 still awaiting classification, leading to a cumulative 235,206 barrels of oil spilled into the environment (Morocco-Clarke 2023). The primary causes of oil spills in the Niger Delta can be attributed to a combination of factors, including aging infrastructure, equipment failure, operational accidents, sabotage, and theft (Ejiba et al 2016;Ezeh et al 2023). The process of exploring and producing crude oil often leads to unintended oil spills, which can occur due to various reasons such as pipeline leakage or rupture, sabotage of well head line and manifolds, equipment failure or overpressure, and blowouts of wells (Aigberua and Inengite 2019).…”