Oil Companies Are Not Responsible For Niger Delta Development

If the Environment Ministry or whatever body is in charge of the environment, the DPR and other regulatory bodies did their jobs, all the issues of pollution wouldn't be there today. In other countries Oil Companies do not carry out developmental projeccts on a large scale, just tokens to show 'Corporate Social Responsibility'. the Government, by its definition should develop the area with the huge taxes the Oil firms pay.

On the issue of gas flaring, the associated gas flaring issue has been well explained here - Oil fetches more money, and thus as long as the money was flowing, the govt didnt really care. Most companies would re-inject this gas back into the reservoirs, but the geological nature of the reservoirs in the delta prevent this from being a large scale use of the gas, except maybe in some Mobil production wells.

Second issue is the poor gas regulatory framework and infrastructure in Nigeria. Imagine NLNG in Bonny produces more LPG/cooking gas annually than the whole W/African sub-region can consume yearly, yet all of it is exported!! Same is the case for the OSO condensate plant of Mobil, there are just plans now to properly build jetties so some of the gas can be sent into the local market. The upcoming OK LNG and Brass LNG, as well as the Escravos GTL and WAGP projects should solve the flaring problem ( for the most part) in the next 5-7 years, at points where it is more economical to flare than to build gas gathering systems, some gas flaring will still persist

Considering how much wealth they are producing for this country, they deserve to live in those beautiful houses.
Besides, all the pictures of "poor" Niger Deltans I have seen are not worse than pictures of dirty parts of Lagos.

@ Bushfellow. I'm Part Niger Deltan and my Grandmother is suffering in Sapele, but I will never destroy my homeland to raise awareness. The Niger Delta Militants are going about the sitauation the wrong way, and the only people that are paying for their actions are everyday Niger Deltans. Obasanjo is sipping Champagne whileIjaws and Itsekiris are fleeing the War Zone.

What have the militants accomplished?

The militants are just as bad as the Government in my eyes.

Even if they want to combat, they should at least Kidnap Polticains, not innocent people, and if they want to destroy, they should go to Abuja, not the Niger Delta.


Any militant that turns the Land of his forefathers into a War Zone cannot call himself a Niger Deltan.

I agree with those with those who say the oil production companies may not be responsible for developing the Niger-Delta, but can anyone tell me why their activities have contributed so much to the degradation of the Delta? In international law, the 'polluter pays' principle is widely applied. So why has it been abolished in Naija?

In countries like Norway which have some of the strictest environmental standards in the world, these oil companies wouldn't get away with one-tenth of the things they do here. They prefer to flare gas, because it is much cheaper for them to do so, despite the fact that the gas pollutes the atmosphere & causes respiratory diseases & visual problems for the inhabitants of the Niger-Delta. How are we so sure that they would keep to the deadline to stop gas flaring by early next year? They have shifted the date so many times, its' appalling!

Another issue someone mentioned, was the flowlines & pipelines. Their pipelines get old & rusty, instead of replacing them before they ruptures, they do nothing. And when it ruptures, they are quick to take cover under the word 'sabotage.' _{Please note:} Am not saying there are no cases of wilful vandalisation caused by a few of the inhabitants, themselves.

I have learnt a lot from The One, Afam & Texazzpete on this thread. And I just want to commend you guys for your factual, well-researched pieces. I value every opportunity I get, to learn new things. And I must say that my mind has been enriched by the little I have seen here.

Thanks, y'all!