I am adding to this topic by TonyeBarcanista. I am not blaming anybody but I will share my experience growing up in Eket. And I’d use Mobil as reference since I know it very well. Unfortunately, its common knowledge that Nigerian Economy runs on oil. It’s true that the actions of the Niger Deltans are wrong like in the case of militancy. But we can shed the truth that the menace suffered in this regions is terrible and its overall impact on the Niger Delta people borders on gross injustice.
Since 1956.
Oil corporations in the Niger Delta seriously threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common.
The presence of multinational oil companies has had additional adverse effects on the local economy and society, including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers. While the story told to consumers of Nigerian crude in the United States and the European Union—via ad campaigns and other public relations efforts—is that oil companies are a positive force in Nigeria, providing much needed economic development resources. Example is the poster at the airport about Mobil.
What has Mobil actually done? Nothing!
The worst road in my state connects from Marina to QIT Mobil. Or is it for the Government to fix?

I used an article from a research and I found this to be very true. “Far from being a positive force, these oil companies act as a destabilizing force, pitting one community against another, and acting as a catalyst—together with the military with whom they work closely—to some of the violence racking the region today”.
Or is it the owners? Who haven’t for once stepped foot in the region but buy blocks…?
https://www.nairaland.com/1014099/injustice-20-owners-richest-oil

What are the issues?
• Environmental Degradation (Natural Gas Flaring, Oil Spills, Pipelines and Construction, Health Impacts) (1956 till date --- gas is being flared at Ibeno QIT terminal even till now as I write 24/7.) why?

"The most conspicuous aspects of life in contemporary Ogoni are poverty, malnutrition, and disease."
-Ben Naanen, Oil and Socioeconomic Crisis in Nigeria, 1995, pg. 75-6
Like in Ogoni villages, they have no clean water, little electricity, few telephones, abysmal health care, and no jobs for displaced farmers and fisher persons, and adding insult to injury, face the effects of unrestrained environmental molestation by Shell every day.
Shell claims to clean up its oil spills, but such "clean-ups" consist of techniques like burning the crude which results in a permanent layer of crusted oil meters thick and scooping oil into holes dug in surrounding earth (a temporary solution at best, with the oil flowing out of the hole during the Niger Delta's frequent bouts of rain)

• Natural Gas Flaring
• Oil Spills
• Pipelines and construction
• Health impacts - The Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team observed increased "discomfort and misery" due to fumes, heat and combustion gases, as well as increased illnesses. Owens Wiwa, a physician, has observed higher rates of certain diseases like bronchial asthma, other respiratory diseases, gastro-enteritis and cancer among the people in the area as a result of the oil industry

• The oil company Police and the Internal Security Task Force (I won’t say anything) (bribes) (Terror ETC) (execution)

In Nigeria, Oil companies influence upon the government
In 1990, MOSOP created the Ogoni Bill of Rights, which outlines the major grievances of the Ogoni, and applies to the peoples of many other oil producing areas. The major points of the Ogoni Bill of Rights are:
• Clean up of oil spills
• Reduction of gas flaring
• Fair compensation for lost land, income, resources, life
• A fair share of profits gained from oil drilled at their expense
• Self-determination

MY EXPERIENCE
A friend of mine wrote exams. He passed. He felt he did well after months of study. When the results were out, his was missing. The father tried to find out what happen, since he’s in the system but came back and told the son to try another job or travel out. Later we got the whole gist from the wife who said the dad met the man in charge and he told him that his son did very well he even showed him. Then said to my friend’s dad that he knows what to do if he really wants his son to enter.
(The placed is filled with outsiders who now reduce to using occult and dangerous affiliations)
Indigenes at first were considered illiterates and we thank God for Heritage Polytechnic now they result to drugs and guns. All cuz of lack of jobs. (A guy was robbed last year around Akop Adi, the boys didn’t ask for money but cocaine and guns) today, in Eket> drugs and guns are what the indigenes are unto. The curse of Oil way don dey fall> 1959 till 2016 nothing to show. It’s a disgrace.

The Niger Delta Situation And The Misguided Niger Delta Avengers Group should be the appropriate subject!

Your post is quite touching. But your post, like Barcanista's, only highlighted the problems without proffering solutions to them. I don't believe that Niger Deltans like you and Barca are bereft of the solutions to the problems. You can avail us all of your thoughts on how the problems can be solved.

bejeiodus:
Your post is quite touching. But your post, like Barcanista's, only highlighted the problems without proffering solutions to them. I don't believe that Niger Deltans like you and Barca are bereft of the solutions to the problems. You can avail us all of your thoughts on how the problems can be solved.

Surely u saw the post on the Ogoni bill of rights? If at any time that was executed even to a 50% level there will be peace in the Niger Delta today.

pls wait, before u think me an indigene of d Niger Delta, I'm an Igbo man. And I have had cause to visit d area. GO THERE AND SEE FOR YOURSELF ELSE U WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND. THOSE PEOPLE ARE BEING MURDER WITH THE APPROVAL OF D WORLD LED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT .
THEY DIE OF POVERTY AND DISEASE WHILE BILLIONAIRES ATIKU ABUBARKA, IDIMIN & CO GRT RICH FROM OWNERSHIP OF OIL BLOCKS!!!

WHY DOES NO ONE ASK THE COMPENSATION PAID THE POOR FARMER ON THE LAND UNDER WHICH THE OIL BLOCK ARE LOCATED OR THE VILLAGE THERE? U THINK THEY ARE PAID TO MOVE? OR THEIR ENVIRONMENT PRESERVED?

once, I paid a visit to Ndoni, Rivers state, an area better than most. First thing I noticed was d total absence of trees! not one in d whole area.
Now we may assume they have been cut down over time but this area grossly underpopulated and d empty land space is too vast. Answer....scientifically when the air is polluted the tree fight back by cleaning it up which their job but when the soil is deeply and heavily polluted by viscous liquids like petroleum they are helpless. they die out.
Next thing I noticed at Ndoni was d dark pools of crude oil in the countryside. I kid u not, They are there and next to them are cassava fields which have to be pumped full of fertlizer for anything to grow! How health is such practice?
Another thing were the rivers and streams. They all had oily edges and reeked like gutters! No fish anywhere! WHO COMPENSATED THE FISHERMEN? And don't tell me u are not aware that fishing is a major source of livelihood in rural area.
I ASK AGAIN WHO HAS ATTEMPTED TO COMPENSATE THESE PEOPLE.? IF OUR BILLIONIRES, PRESIDENTS, GOVERNMENT ARE IGNORANT OF THE GOING ONS IN AREA WHERE THE REVENUES COME FROM THEN THEY SHOULD BE LINED AGAINST RIGHT BESIDE ALL LOOTERS AND STONED!
The Niger Delta is full of rich farming land and streams teeming with fish but now nothing but oil spills and gas flaring that turns day into night and has fowls going to roast at odd hours. Go there and u will cry if u got a good heart.

The 'Niger Delta Avengers' is an apt of what goes on there and what needs to be done by its people since the government has refused to tasks note and act. Time for solutions on the part of the government is almost gone.
Thank you