CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Environmental Degradation is the deterioration of the environment
through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of
the ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife[1].
The oil and gas sector is a significant
portion of the Nigerian economy[2].
Scholars believe crude oil production has become more relevant in contemporary
times as there is yet no cheaper alternative to it as a form of energy.
Interestingly, the sector has also been asserted to cause the most significant
chunk of the Nigerian environmental degradation[3]. It is strongly viewed that the discovery of
oil in Nigeria since 1956 brought with it, grave environmental challenges.
Human
rights are “rights which all human beings have by virtue of their humanity,
such as the right to life, dignity of human person, personal liberty, fair
hearing and freedom of thought, conscience and religion[4]. They
provide a common standard of behavior among the international community.” They are natural, rational, inviolable, and
unalterable, the deprivation of which would constitute a grave affront to one’s
sense of justice[5].
Rights, as defined, are generally understood as, “moral-political claims which
by contemporary consensus, every human being has or is deemed to have upon his
society or government,” claims which are recognized “as of right” and “not by
love or grace or charity[6].
Chapter
IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, provides for fundamental
rights of citizens, including the right to life, right to dignity of human
person, right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing, right to private and
family life, right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, right to
freedom of movement, right to freedom from discrimination, and the right to
acquire and own property anywhere in Nigeria[7].
Also, in chapter II, provisions are made for several other rights under the
fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy[8].
Human rights, as noted by an astute author, “are more than a collection of
formal norms, they are dynamic political, social, economic, juridical, as well
as moral, cultural and philosophical conditions which define the intrinsic value
of man and his inherent dignity.”'
Prior
to the discovery of oil in commercial quantities at Oloibiri in 1956, agriculture
was the main stay of the Nigerian economy. The discovery of oil transformed the
nation’s economy and has, for the past five decades or more, provided
approximately 90% of foreign exchange earnings and 80% of the federal revenue[9]. The nation’s economy depends and runs solely
on foreign exchange earnings from the sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is
therefore no surprise that the Nigerian economy was thrown into a deep
recession by the 2015/2016 slump in the oil prices in the international spot
market[10].
Under
the monoculture national economy, the oil rich communities in the Niger Delta
region became the hob of the Nigerian economy and this situation has been
sustained by the ever-rising demand for oil in the West[11]. In order to ensure steady earnings into the
government coffers, the Federal Government of Nigeria provides all
the necessary support and security to the oil corporations. The government
position has always been backed by legislation as reflected in the provisions
of the laws and regulations guiding the nation’s oil industry[12].
The
oil corporations are usually put under pressure by the federal government to
maximize oil production; therefore, they are left to operate almost
unregulated. Consequently, they adopt substandard environmental, health and
safety practices in their field operations which cause environmental pollution
and degradation[13].
Also, negligence, system or equipment failure, and unethical practices result
in frequent oil spills, continuous gas-flaring and unprofessional toxic waste
disposal. Since the inception of oil exploration in 1958, it is estimated that
between nine million and thirteen million barrels of oil have been spilled due
to poorly maintained pipelines and drilling equipment, corrosion of pipelines, and pipeline
vandalization[14].
Spills
in course of production contaminate surface and ground water and destroy
aquatic animals with hydrocarbons and carcinogens, which have grave health
implications for humans. The cumulative effects of the above listed are massive
environmental pollution, destruction and degradation which directly or
indirectly infringe on and violate the rights of people living in the Niger
Delta Region. Similarly, flaring of gaseous by-products from crude oil
exploration cause the emission of poisonous gases like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur
dioxide, and other carcinogens with adverse health implications[15]
and it is on this background that this study seeks to investigate the oil spillage and environmental degradation
in Niger delta region of Nigeria as violation of the right to life and safe
environment.
Visit our virtual academic environment www.researchshelf.com for complete materials and solutions to your
academic needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment