Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

There is a growing recognition of the urgency to clean up oil-related pollution in Nigeria’s Niger Delta in order to avert a looming public health disaster. Oil spills in the Niger Delta occur daily, involve a cumulatively larger volume of oil, and span nearly sixty years of oil production. It is quite plausible, therefore, to conclude that the damage to the environment and the public health impact of oil spills in this environment is quite significant. Immediately after the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) published its landmark report on the environmental assessment of Nigeria’s Niger Delta in 2011, there was global optimism that the Nigerian government might finally clean up the area’s environment. Upon receiving the report, the Nigerian government promptly constituted the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) agency to oversee the cleanup project. Further action has stalled, however, and the severe pollution-related environmental and public health challenges enumerated in the report persist. The goal of this research was to assess the impact of oil pollution on the health and human development of the residents of the Niger Delta. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among participants in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Oil pollution has been blamed for a number of persisting public health challenges, including poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, high child and under-five mortality rates, and a dismal life expectancy. The UNEP has urged the Nigerian government to act expeditiously to limit and remedy the health risks associated with oil pollution in the oil producing region.