Niger Delta and environmental issues
By
AS far as oil and gas are concerned, agitators for revenue from their proceeds forget to discuss
environmental problems emanating from exploration. Some of these problems involve the control of chemical substances capable of causing illness, intensive
heat due to gas flaring, air and water pollution. These would possibly lead to extinction of animals in our bushes and all kinds of species in our rivers,
streams or ponds. Worse, is the loss of human lives.
The issues of environmental hazards through oil-spillage and gas flaring continue to raise the question of risk and uncertainty that the people in the Niger-Delta face which have become subtle and vexing. Those who do not come from the area have different interests and perspectives that define their levels of assessment of the merit and demerits of investing on environmental protection programmes for Niger Deltans.
What really, constitute an environment? Stephen Woollett in his book on environmental grants defines ‘environment’ in a broad term embracing both the natural and built surrounding. According to him, environment should cover “practical environment, conservation work; protection of landscapes, improving wild life habitats; researching global warming; combating water and air pollution; promoting public enjoyment of and access to the countryside; as well as the preservation and restoration of buildings and monuments of architectural and or historical importance; environmental education and interpretation; and rural or urban regeneration.
What we see today in the Niger Delta, especially the oil and gas producing areas is total neglect of the environment as defined by Woollett. Reasons being that these environmental problems merge with other profound political dilemmas. Negligence of the Niger Delta environment has created so much tension that has become central to our political ambitions as a nation. But collectively, we see ourselves as Nigerians wanting to identify with the benefits from the proceeds of oil and gas. Unfortunately, not all of us see ourselves as Nigerians or want to identify with discussing or finding solution to environmental problems affecting those from the region where we generate our national wealth.
What top people in government do not understand is that everyone is part of the environment and the environment affects everyone. Disappointingly, environmental issues in the Niger Delta have become the domain of a relatively narrow section of our society (Nigerian) those directly affected by the effects. The issue of negligence on the plight of the people of the Niger Delta has often raised fundamental questions about why the people from the area should co-exist with the other parts of the country if their God given wealth is only meant to develop and enrich the others at their own expense.
Recent events from General Ibrahim Babangida to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administrations, point to the fact that the riots of anger and despair in the Niger Delta have still not sent shock waves to those in government to act now. If government does not act now, the people in this area may collectively confront it desperately and directly someday.
The majority tribes on the other hand are silent and only interested in the benefits they are deriving. Participation on environmental issues, are deliberately left to ethnic minorities that produce the wealth of the nation and suffer abject poverty as well as the effects of environmental hazards. Even the oil companies and multinationals involved in oil exploration, are protected by the government made up mostly of persons from the country’s majority tribes and from non-oil or gas producing areas.
Government inaction on these issues is a political risk capable of truncating our democracy that may eventually lead to agitation for disintegration. It is a general belief that the actions of our leaders at the federal level have been based on concern for political survival, hence the deliberate poor treatment of the minorities, not minding their wealth. The leaders assume that minority votes cannot win them elections because their votes are also in the minority.
The federal government of Nigeria has the obligation to prevent prolonged environmental problems in the Niger Delta. It is also its responsibility to educate the public on issues concerning the environment. It is supposed to use its stature to protect its citizens from exploitation by multinationals whose main goal is to make profit.
In Warri for example, “rain water” contain so much oil and gas purities. It is so difficult having visibility while driving because wiping your windscreen only reveals a stained oily screen. The poverty level has also affected the quality of transportation facilities. There are so many Okada in Warri and all of them “smoke”.
On any issue, a relatively few individuals are put together to define problems, determine priorities, and craft on overall strategy to combat the problems. This is exactly the reason for setting up environmental protection agencies. As environmentalists, they should feed the media with reports of highly dangerous environmental problems. And as a source of technical information, they should inform the people about possible or visible environmental hazards.
Regulation in developed countries contain standards that require industries to develop new technologies to combat environmental problems. In this light, leaders of environmental agencies serve as champions of the merits of environmental protection policies.
Unfortunately, our governments in their wisdom assume that offering money to these agencies at times of disaster will at the very best bring a response of pleasure and thanks from the people. The feeling of the people is that Government, the oil and gas companies as well as environmental protection agencies pray for such disasters to happen and fight for compensation instead of ensuring the enforcement of environmental laws to prevent any disaster. It is also the duty of agencies to ensure that oil companies are made to develop large-scale programmes to respond to major incidents of spills. Fire outbreaks at any of their locations. They must be made to put the protection of people and properties and the environment at the core of their operations.
It is embarrassing when environmental protection agencies, the oil companies and government use the services of journalists to tilt reports on evidence of environmental problems as well as efforts being done to clear the mess. Environmental experts it is said judge the performance of agencies and those who lead them on four basic standards “fidelity to the technical merits, promoting civic education, responsiveness to the public, and building institutional capacity.”
Our politicians must be reminded that they suffer a great loss by failing to meet their commitments to the people when disaster comes. The public disillusionment and reaction that follows will not only be a serious cost to the political leaders but the political capacity of the country. The quest for money should not blind agency officials to the plight of the people of the region.
Dec 2002