Nigeria: “World Oil Pollution Capital”

The Niger Delta has some 300 spills each year. But Nigeria, a major supplier for foreign markets, lacks the technology, researchers or journalists that monitor such spills, reports Caroline Duffield for the BBC. Many spills in Nigeria are the result of sabotage and aging equipment. Nigerians who have lost their livelihoods because of oil spills take note of the outraged response to an April 20 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that has left oil gushing since – and recognize that they could do more to hold companies accountable. “The oil industry is accused of a sharp double standard in its operations – of taking advantage of Nigeria's lack of environment law and weak regulation, while observing higher standards of safety and maintenance overseas,” Duffield writes. Oil companies could be a force for good for the African nation. Regulations investments in public health or education that spread the wealth could do much to reduce resentment and devastation. – YaleGlobal