ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Nigeria,
located in West Africa, has a total land area of 983,213 square kilometres.
Presently, its estimated population is over 150 million people (World Bank
Population figures) yielding an average density of more than120persons per
square kilometres. Industrial activities, in its modern forms, are relatively
recent in the history of Nigeria’s economic development. During the
pre-colonial period, Nigeria featured considerable craft industry as modern
factory activity was then not known. With the advent of the Second World War
and its aftermath, the economy of Nigeria changed tremendously and there were
demands from Europe for industrial raw materials. With time, due to the low
technological base, industrial development took on the assembly-type pattern of
import substitution (Wikipedia, 2015). However, political self determination
since 1960 did provide the opportunity for improving on its import substitution
strategy as well as developing its potentials for real industrial take off
through capital goods industry. Prior to the discovery of crude oil in
Oloibiri, Rivers State in 1956,agriculture (before 1970) was the mainstay of
the Nigerian economy. The oil boom witnessed in the 1970s led to a tremendous
increase in industrial activities. With financial resources available from oil
and no development policy, unguided urbanization and industrialization took
place. As desirable and necessary as this development was, it became an
albatross not of itself but because of the lack of appropriate environmental
protection policies to guide it. The result was the indiscriminate siting of
industries, deforestation and desertification, disregarding the need for
environmental concern. The process technology of some of these industries often
resulted in unacceptable levels of toxic and dangerous industrial wastes and
effluent emissions. These culminated in the degradation of the environment and
devastating ecological and human disasters.
As a
result of these, the need to combine industrial development and environmental
protection arose. Acts of legislation for environmental protection, known as
environmental laws, were then enacted. However, the researcher is seeking to
provide an highlights on the various issues of environmental
pollution and the challenges encountered in establishing an effective
environmental enforcement programme and the solutions proffered by the
government in tackling these problems (Wikipedia, 2015).
Oil is
the primary base of Nigeria’s economy and is also the cause of major
environmental and social problems in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Over
the years, oil exploration, production, and refinement in Nigeria has resulted
in various environmental and ecological problems that range from oil spills,
gas flares, habitat destruction, air and water pollution, and land degradation.
Also, a major cause of oil pollution in that same region is also to a great
extent, from the activities of illegal oil bunkering and illegal refineries
operated indigenes and some highly placed individuals in government. The
chemical properties of spilled oil often affect the productiveness of soil and
pollute water bodies, thereby causing irreparable damage to agricultural lands
as well as aquatic bodies.
Gas
flaring is a significant environmental and economic problem in and Nigeria
emits approximately 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually (US
EIA1999). This adversely affects the socio-economic actives of local
communities, which is primarily based on fishing and farming (Egunjobi1993). It
is estimated that in one region alone in the Niger Delta, flaring is
statistically likely to cause 49 premature deaths, 5000 respiratory illnesses
among children and some 120,000 asthma attacks and 8 additional causes of
cancer each year (Environmental Rights Action and the Climate Justice Programme).
Another
major environmental issue ravaging Nigeria is water pollution. According to
Anukam (1997), the main source of water pollution in Nigeria has to do with
forestry activities. Deforestation and improper soil tillage practices increase
the concentration of soil particles that make their way into water bodies and
in turn increases their sediment loads.. The discharge of industrial waste
materials into bodies of water is another major source of pollution in Nigeria.
Discharges from industries such as petroleum, mining, iron and steel,
pharmaceuticals, and textiles among others have increased the contents of
sulfates and nitrates in water bodies and has altered properties such as color
and odor (Adelegan 2004). These metals and other chemical substance increase
the toxicity of water bodies as well as soils. A large percentage of Nigerians
derive most of their domestic and drinking water from ponds, stream, and
shallow wells. Hence, water pollution is a major health concern that places the
health of about 40 million people at risk of diseases such as cholera,
dysentery, diarrhea, and typhoid (Anukam 1997, Adelegan 2004, Orubu 2006).
Domestic and industrial waste has also constituted a major source of environmental
pollution in Nigeria. The improper disposal and ineffective management of
municipal solid waste and industrial waste creates major environmental and
aesthetic problems in most of Nigeria’s urban areas. Due to overpopulation and
the creation of slums, most municipal areas currently generate more waste than
they can manage (Ogbonna and Ekweozor, 2002). This has led to the accumulation
of waste heaps in “several areas, blocking motorways and making passage along
alleys and pavements difficult” (Ajayi and Ikporokpo 2005). The most common
method of waste disposal in Nigeria is waste transfer from one region to
another and incineration. The first involves the transfer of waste from a
region that is considered to have a higher aesthetic value to one that has a
lower one. The waste incineration method of waste disposal often results in air
pollution due to the release of gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
oxides of nitrogen, halogenated carbons, and other particulate matter.
There
is need for government to enact and implement necessary environmental laws to
control the issues of environmental
pollution and this can be done by putting necessary environmental
pollution enforcement structures in place to curb the spate of environmental
pollution in Nigeria.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Irrespective
of the numerous environmental laws enacted to protect the environment,
environmental degradation has continued unabated. Oil spillage and gas flaring
activities are still commonplace in Nigeria, especially in the oil-rich Niger
Delta. Gas flaring has also continued unabated irrespective of the Nigerian
government’s directive to end flaring by 2010 (Kalu, 2009). The Idoho oil spill
incidence of 1997 spilled 40,000 barrels of crude oil into the environment. It
travelled all the way from Akwa Ibom state to Lagos state dispersing oil
through the coastal states, up to the Lagos coast. According to the Department
of Petroleum Resources, between 1997 and 2001, Nigeria recorded a total number
of 2,097 oil spill incidents amounting to 1,947,600 barrels of crude oil.
Thousands
of barrels of oil have been split into the environment through our oil
pipelines and tanks in the country. Enforcement of environmental regulations is
still poor as industries continue to discharge untreated waste water into the
environment. Heaps of refuse are always a constant sight to behold in Nigerian
streets and markets.
Most
recently, in December 2011, the SPDC’s Bonga offshore platform spilled about
40, 000 barrels of crude oil into Nigerian waters. On January 16 2012, a gas
explosion occurred at the Finuwa oil field owned by Chevron Nigeria Limited.
The Nigerian government was shockingly silent about these two incidents. This
study however wants to identify the problems of environmental
pollution and proffer solution to the issue.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The
following are the objectives of this study:
To
identify the issues of environmental
pollution in Nigeria. To analyze the impact of environmental
pollution in Nigeria. To determine the solutions to the challenges of environmental pollution in
Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What
are the issues of environmental
pollution in Nigeria? What is the impact of environmental pollution in
Nigeria? What are the solutions to the challenges of environmental pollution in
Nigeria?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS HO: Environmental
pollution is not a major challenge in Nigeria HA: Environmental pollution is a
major challenge in Nigeria
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The
following are the significance of this study:
The
outcome of this research will educate the general public on the issues and the
adverse effect of environmental pollution in Nigeria. The findings from this
study is going to necessitate measures that will lead to demand for improved
implementation of environmental pollution control laws in Nigeria This research
will also serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested
in carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if applied, it
will go to an extent to provide new explanation to the topic.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY This
study on environmental pollution in Nigeria will cover all cases of environmental
pollution ranging from air and water pollution due to oil exploration and
refining, effluent waste from industries, dump sites all over Nigeria market
and streets and even noise pollution.
LIMITATION OF STUDYFinancial constraint-
Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing
for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of
data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).Time constraint- The researcher will
simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently
will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
REFERENCES Amukam, O., (1997).
Pollution control regulation the Nigerian oil industry (Lagos: N.I.A.L.S.1997).
Ogbonna, E.A., and Ekweozor, P., (2000): The Adverse Effects of Crude Oil
Spills in the Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. Ajayi, A. &
Ikporokpor, D., 2002. International Environmental law (Ardley son:
Transnational Publishcrs). Orubu, E.A. (2006) The Community of Oil Exporting
Countries New York: Cornell University Press). Kalu V. E., LL.M, BL, (2009):
Toxic Wastes And the Nigerian Environment; Dept. Of Private &Property Law,
University of Benin: An Appraisal. Adelegan, M.M., 2004: Nigerian Petroleum Law
and Practice (Ibadan. Nigeria: Fountain Books). Pearson, S.R., Petroleum in
Nigerian Economy (California: Stanford University Press,1970).
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