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OIL BOOM AND NIGER DELTA |
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by Anthony Emecheta | 09-03-2015 06:53
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Decades before oil stole the heart of Nigeria's economy, revenue for the country was majorly from agriculture. There was the groundnut pyramid of Kano, Cocoa plantations of the South West and the oil palm vegetation of the South East. My intention is not to bore you with economic statistics but to highlight those economic plants and the glorious sight of their storage or processing plants have become a topic for history classes. Positive attracts negative, little wonder bee associates with honey. Same way, crude oil came with its inherent problems problems that today appear to outweigh their benefits. The Niger Delta region and parts of Portharcourt must have rejoiced when oil was discovered in their lands, aware of the millions it would make them and the nation. Sadly, they are singing a different song today. Their lands have become grossly polluted by oil spill that they can no longer birth green leaves. They now depend on the food that comes from other parts of the country for survival, and as the law of demand and supply would have it, these foods come highly inflated. Likewise, those in riverine areas whose source of livelihood is primarily fishing are threatened. Oil which is less dense than water forms a film over the water surface, cutting off oxygen from the water. This renders the water unfit for drinking and makes it unable to support aquatic life. Fishes are gradually becoming extinct in the Niger Delta waters either died or migrated. Died because not only is the oxygen insufficient, the oil also coats their gills when they come to the surface inhibiting proper gaseous exchange. A great challenge with oil spill is that they are very difficult to mop. It often requires tons of chemicals which also possess a great health hazard or employing the services of oil eating microbes. The latter is less favoured by organizations in charge of mopping up oil spills because it is time consuming. To the best of my knowledge however, none of the methods have been extensively applied to clean up the mess in the Niger Delta. The drop in oil price, am beginning to see as a blessing in disguise because the government is now forced to look the side of agriculture once more but what is more important is that these green plants, besides ensuring more food for the ever growing populace, will help clean the huge emissions of Carbon dioxide and ensure a safer environment. |
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8 Comments
Greeting Anthony
I hope you are doing well!
Thank you so much for this report!
Keep writing
Green cheers
Regards
Hema
Posted 22-03-2020 11:22
Thanks Christy for stopping by. You spoke rightly about equilibrium.
Thanks Rohan. I have heard so much about the transformation of UAE and also watched some videos. thanks for stopping by
Posted 28-03-2015 08:56
Sustainability is prerequisite for any growth. Else problems like this may be faced. I hope they will divert to agriculture soon.
Oil exploration can be balanced as well with care for the nature as many countries like UAE are practicing.
Posted 18-03-2015 21:29
Thank you for the fresh information. You provided more current and detail information about the issue in Nigeria. Thanks to the rich reservoir of oil, Nigeria comes to the first place economically but as you mentioned, it grew the economy wrong-balanced and ignored the environment. I agree with your opinion that the people at least have the opportunity to think about what they originally have for their sustainable living, 'sustainable agriculture'.
Posted 11-03-2015 14:08
Am Glad E-Gen that I've made an impact. I pray more people comes to buy my idea and help save the area from further ruin.
Posted 10-03-2015 17:51
Thanks for the information. I haven't heard of many news about Delta oil spill. At least, your posting raised awareness among our members.
Posted 10-03-2015 10:12
Thanks Bindu for stopping by. Yeah, the government is already looking at diversifying the economy because that seems to be the only option.
Hahaha... Am yet to see the exceptions Bindu
Posted 10-03-2015 05:02
Dear Anthony, I feel sorry to the condition of Niger Delta due to huge oil spill and the problems associated.
Yeah, you said well- positive attracts negative (except some exceptions). Hopefully the drop in oil price will divert the attraction towards agriculture like before they discovered oil in their land.
Thank you for sharing this informative report :)
Posted 10-03-2015 00:32