After nearly seven decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian oil industry now makes up 65% of government revenue and 88% of foreign exchange earnings. But this oil wealth has come at a terrible cost to the local people and their environment.

Decades of oil spills and gas flaring have transformed the Niger Delta into one of the most polluted places on Earth. About 300 oil spills occur in the region each year and in 2011, a spill at Shell’s Bonga oil fields released 40,000 barrels. Over 350 farming communities were affected, and 30,000 fishermen were forced to abandon their livelihoods.

Although local people are supposed to be compensated for oil spills caused by technical failures, this rarely happens because of a flawed process for determining the cause of spills. The 6.5 million local people whose livelihoods depend on fishing, and many others who survive on farming, have watched their futures drain away with the oil

This has led to a complex pattern of conflicts in the region since the late 1990s.

Environmentalist and scientists have provided varying estimates of the magnitude and frequency of oil spills in the region. But, unfortunately, the government has failed to compel multinationals to adhere to local environmental regulations.

This is not surprising since the government benefits from oil revenue, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.

But, damage to the natural, pristine environment has exposed the region's people to extreme poverty. This has fuelled conflict over the available limited resources.

The problem calls for a joint approach to the solution: broad consultation, collaboration, and effective dialog.

The stakeholders are not just the oil companies and the government, but also the local fishers, farmers, traders, youth: both men and women.

Credits: Nigeria Ministry of Agriculture, IUCN, and UNEP.