Investigating the Environmental Sustainability Issues of Oil and Gas Operations in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Over the decades, the Nigeria Niger Delta has been bedeviled with environmental issues since the discovery of oil and gas at Oloibiri in 1956. Oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta region have resulted in environmental degradation through high levels of oil spillages and gas flaring. Oil and gas exploration and exploitation damage vegetation cover; causing a high risk of erosion, due to the lack of a robust environmental management plan. The non-standard practices of local refiners result in oil spillages which cause environmental degradation; wiping off more than 50,000 acres of mangrove forest. In the same vein, the unwholesome disposal of wastes like Produced Water (PW), drilling muds and cuttings pose serious environmental health risks]. Gas flaring is another major cause of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region. Due to the lack of technology to harness flared gas, the practice contributes to climate change, and soil acidity; causing depletion of soil nutrients and loss of crop yields. There have been attempts by researchers and industry players to find a sustainable solution to the unabated environmental degradation but the situation is still ongoing. It is against this backdrop, that this research investigates the environmental sustainability issues of oil and gas operations in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria.