Exploration of Oil and Gas Paved Way for Environmental Degradation in the Niger Delta Region: The Intractable Saga

Abstract

The environment which is the totality of human life has being subjected to unwholesome degradation owing to the exploration of petroleum. This article examines the exploration of oil and gas in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria cum its adverse effect on the environment. This article reveals that environmental sustainability cannot be overemphasized in the Niger Delta region as its indigenes largely depend on the natural environment for subsistence living. Hence, any harm done to the environment would be cataclysmic to their livelihood. However, the resultant effect from the exploration of petroleum in that region such as oil spillage and gas flaring has made life unbearable for the indigenes of the Niger Delta region. This article further shows that irrespective of the number of statutes, regulations and international agreements bordering on environment, the degradation of the Niger Delta environment and Nigeria as a whole remains the order of the day. This article recommends among other things for the constant upgrade and calibration of exploration equipment's as well as the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industrial Bill which will usher in a new dimension in tackling environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region.