THE MANAGEMENT OF OIL SPILLAGE IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

There has been a proliferation in the activities of crude oil exploration across the globe as a result of increase in high risk of oil spillage and the accompanying environmental hazards. In Nigeria, this has been the order of the day since the initiation of the first petroleum industry in country’s Niger delta region. Oil spills have been recurrent and impacting damaging effects on the environment particularly within the oil-producing region. This research examines oil spillage and their associative effects on the fauna and flora of the Niger delta region of Nigeria. It seeks to assess how the federal government and the oil firms manage oil spill incidents and the degradation of environment brought about by the oil spillage.

The results of the research have identified gaps and need for improvement to manage oil spills incidents to protect the environment. It has uncovered the need for the Nigerian environmental laws and policy to be updated. It is proposed that there is need for the government to set out strict obligation for degradation of the environment. The oil generating organisations in Nigeria should comply to international best practices in exploitation of oil and the Nigerian government should go past the limits of directive and control methodology to contamination abatement and embrace different suitable technology for oil spill control as well as involving inhabitants of the Niger delta region in the management of oil spill.