CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Warri is one of the well known oil producing city in Delta State Nigeria. Warri is one of the prominent towns in the Niger Delta endowed with great natural resources.

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 Nigeria emits approximately 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually (US EIA 1999). This adversely affects the socio-economic activities of local communities, which is primarily based on fishing and farming (Egunjobi, 1993). 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 issue ravaging Nigeria is water pollution.

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