The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta - Research Paper Example

 The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta The normal day in of Nigerian employees is filled with people feeding on the resources of the sea. The people have grown accustomed to the Shell pipelines extracting natural gas from the depths of the Nigerian Delta. Some Nigerians are hired by the Shell Company to help in the extraction of the earth’s hidden treasures. Some of the Shell pipes exude flaring gases into the pristine Nigerian skyline. The gases cause pollution on the environment. Consequently, the people feel a deterioration of their health. The main culprit is the declining air quality. The Nigerian government has accepted the Shell’s intrusion into the previously clean Nigerian air in exchange for monetary gains. The typical day of the Nigerian Shell employee is filled with inhaling the dangerous gas fumes from the daily extraction of the natural gas emissions. Likewise, some of the gas pipes often break from the pressure coming from the earth’s exiting gases (Rosenau 9). Consequently, some leaks occur from cracks in the weakened gas pipes. Some of the people are happy with the current situation. Some place more importance on earning money from the Shell jobs over their health. The Shell Company jobs help reduce the poverty level in the Nigerian Delta. Priority should be place on emphasizing how many people must die for our oil intake in (Paden 47). Mass genocide, through oil spill poisoning, that is being implemented by the government and the Shell Corporation on the Nigerian people should be stopped. Nigeria’s culture, ecosystem, and sustainability before shell. Before Shell Company’s intrusion, the Nigerian Delta was a densely populated enjoying daily breath of fresh unpolluted air. The people lived on fishing and other maritime jobs. The ecosystem before the intrusion of Shell Company was in a better balance. Human rights violation was absent before the entry of Shell Company into the lives of the Nigerian Delta people. The government was less corrupt prior to the entry of the Shell pipelines when compared to the government corruption after the entry of Shell Company . The skies were bluer then. The people can swim in the water. In addition, fishing was a thriving business endeavor. In terms of economics, the people can now work for Shell as one of its pipe maintenance engineers. The job entails ensuring that there are no leaks. Leak prevention is a vital job of the Shell employees. The lives of the people living in the community are at the hands of the employees of Shell Company (Nigeri 66). Shell’s impact on the culture, ecosystem, and sustainability, the picture below paints a thousand words about the hazardous effect of gas after another gas leak caused a massive explosion. The explosion clearly shows a huge smoke blossoming into the sky above. The smoke blankets the bright sun’s rays from touching the people’s faces. Many people observe the flames as a way to study what to do when the next gas explosion occurs. Ref: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell A cracked oil pipeline in Nigeria breaks into flames in the Lagos suburb in 2008. More than 100 residents were killed. In addition, the smoke from the flaming oil fire caused irreparable damage to the Nigerian Delta skyline. The fire had been triggered because of the large number of oil pipe lines crisscrossing the Nigerian Delta environment. The people prefer to work for Shell because of the salaries being paid. Shell injected a great impact on the Nigerian Delta culture. The people are forced to leave their fishing livelihood. Fishing, a job that has been handed down from one generation to the next, had to be replaced by other money –generating jobs. Shell’s oil exploration activities have brought about a huge change in the people’s attitude. Shell injected a great impact on the Nigerian sustainability environment. The shell fires and hazardous oil gas fumes caused an increase in respiratory ailments and other related diseases. In addition, the leaks had killed many of the edible marine species, including fish. The fishermen surrendered their livelihood by throwing away their nets, finishing pots and homes within the Nigerian Delta. The main reason is that the oil leaks have poisoned the fish swimming within the territorial confines of the Nigerian Delta. The Shell Company had continued to literally damage the Further, the Shell Company had injected a great impact on the Nigerian Delta culture. The people have change their ways. Most of the people were forced to metamorphose from the fishing job to a Shell Company oil exploration employee. In addition, Shell Company had damaged the forests of the Nigerian Delta. The oil spills had blanketed the green forest foliage with black sticky oil spill. In addition, many of the residents could not easily find drinking water. The oil spill had sipped into the drinking water sources under the earth. Many of the people finally protested the entry of Shell Company into the territorial jurisdiction of the Nigerian Delta and ravaged the once green environment for the sake of making profits. The people’s anger over the Shell oil spill was ignored by some of the Shell Company officers. To get a better picture of Shell Company’s environmental damage extent, some of the Shell oil pipes crossing through many parts of the Nigerian Delta are 40 years old. This means that some of the pipes are rusted to the point that cracks will start to crop up; the cracks expel oil which is flammable (Press 831). To resolve the above issues, Shell Company offered to hire some of the Nigerian Delta employees and other supporters of the Shell Company. The hiring of a few of the Nigerian Delta residents may appease a few Nigerians. However, the world is looking at the irreparable damage precipitating from the irresponsible implementation of pollution –generating Shell oil pipes. The Shell Company acts with a strong commitment to remove the oil skills. The Nigerian Delta’s problems are severe. The crude oil taken from beneath the Nigerian Delta soil causes immeasurable damage to the fertile soil. Consequently, wildlife fizzles out because it could not feed on the insects or plants; the insects and plants have been coated with oil and died. The oil spills also damage the breeding ground of birds, fishes, and other animals. In response, the indigenous people of the Nigerian Delta fall below the poverty line. In response, the government of the Nigerian Delta is focusing on allocating some of the earnings from the oil outputs to defray some of the expenses of cleaning the regular oil spills. The many Nigerian Delta government programs are geared towards increasing the government’s fund allocation to improve the lives of the people affected by the oil spills in the same region. The government is right in channeling some of the oil money into the houses of the people living there. Some of the government’s programs have failed because the presence of graft and corruption. The issue of the residents of the Nigeria, Delta is includes the reduction of graft and corruption. The reduction will ensure that the oil money can be assigned to improve the facilities of the people in the community. The Nigerian Delta’s government should focus on ensuring that environmental laws are implemented (Williams 27). Likewise, the government’s oil money received from the Shell Petroleum Company should be sent improve the lives of the people affected by the oil spills. The two body paragraphs complement each other. The first paragraph is clarified by the second paragraph. The second paragraph can easily be understood by the second paragraph. Both paragraphs show the real situation in the Nigerian Delta in terms of the hardship of people to breathe fresh unadulterated air. The corruption and violence that can be tied to the civil war between activates and the corrupted government. The corruption and violence is centered on the viability of continuing the Shell Company oil exploration services. With over 600 oil wells dotting the Nigerian Delta, lots of bribe money passes hands from the Shell Company officers to some of the government officers. The corruption of government leaders has precipitated on the increase in the death in Nigerian Delta communities (Onwuka 54). To show that although the country was in need of money due to economic turmoil, their ecosystem and culture were better off. In fact, the country’s economic status has changed but their health has diminished (Jedrzej 100). Many of the Nigerian Delta law body members have issued statements indicating that the error of recording can be easily repaired. For the past 50 years, the Nigerian Delta continues to suffer from unsafe drinking water, decline in fishing output, and reduction in farming lands due to the oil spills. There is an average of 300 oil spills in one accounting period occurring within the Nigerian Delta alone. Graph 1 Number of Oil Spills in Niger Delta from 2005 to 2009 The above chart clearly shows that the year 2005 showed the highest number of oil spills. The graph also shows that there have been oil spills during 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. The above chart also indicates that the oil spill contributes to the deterioration of the people’s health. The graph paints a very gloomy picture of what a day in Nigerian Delta is: it is full of fear that one day, the gas pipes may explode from under the inhabitants. Consequently, an entire family will literally go up in smoke (die). However, the chart shows that the 2009 year has the lowest number of oil spill. This means there is also a probability that the number of oil spills will decrease further in 2010 or 2011. Ref: Ref: Shell in Nigeria: Oil Spills, Environmental Performance Journal Graph 2 Number of Barrels of Oil Spill from 2005 to 2009 Table 1 Year Oil Spill Oil spill 2005 110 12,000.00 2006 120 10,000.00 2007 190 20,000.00 2008 115 48,000.00 2009 90 110,000.00 Oil Spill Statistics for Nigerian Delta Ref: Shell in Nigeria: Oil Spills, Environmental Performance Journal The above data clearly shows that the year 2009 shows an alarming signal to implement ways to curtail the barrels of oil spills. The oil spill should be reducing to allowable statistics levels to ensure that the effects of the oil spill will not affect the community’s health. Ref: Shell in Nigeria: Oil Spills, Environmental Performance Journal In terms of toxicology of the water, only 48 percent of the people living in the Nigerian Delta have access to safe drinking water during the year 2004 alone. The rest of the people find it difficult to find water because the toxic oil has sipped into the community’s water supply (Bruce 2009). Further, In terms of currency rates, the Nigerian Delta currency fluctuates in relation to the United States dollar. As shown below, the rate is currently on an upward climb. Graph 3 Ref: http://www.exchange-rates.org/history/NGN/USD/G The Nigerian Delta Currency Rate Fluctuation In terms of health issues, the introduction of the Shell Company drilling activities had reduced the health status of the community. The toxic fumes trigger cancer attacks. The toxic fumes increase the death statistics as well as the hospital occupancy statistics. The toxicity of the gas may force some members of society to visit the medical doctor for medical treatment (Genova 201). In terms of death rates, the mortality in the Nigerian Delta is 194 deaths for every 1,000 children between the age of 0 and six years of age during 2005 alone. In terms of life expectancy in the same community, Nigerian Delta, the average person will live until the age of 46.5 years 15 (Caselli 285). Both paragraphs above indicate that the company must exert extra effort so curve the increasing oil spills. The first paragraph indicates that 2005 has the highest number of oil spills. On the other hand, the second chart shows that the company generated the highest number of barrels of oil spill during the recent 2009. However, both charts indicate that there is an oil spill occurring every year. Graph 4 Oil Production - Nigeria Delta Ref: http://earlywarn.blogspot.com/2010/02/nigerian-oil-production-analog-for-iraq.html The above chart shows the number of oil barrels produced from the years 1965 to 2010. The above data indicates that the Nigerian Delta has stepped up its operations for the years 2003 to 2010. This will show that the company will generate more revenues from the increasing demand for Nigerian Oil. On November 10, 1995, nine Ogoni leaders had been scheduled were executed on false charges by the government. The Ogoni leaders were killed for trying to implement their own beliefs and customs. Further, the Nigerian government continues to ignore the outcries by the people being slowly hastened to their death by murder. In addition, Saro –Wiwa was executed for fighting for a Nigerian Delta that is free from oil pollution. The ethnic minorities continue to try to dislodge the Shell Company equipments from their community. However, most of the protesters were immediately escorted by handcuff and training gadgets to instill in the minds of the capture prisoners that oil money offered by the multinational companies is more important when compared to the lives of the people slowly being killed by the toxic gas fumes (McLukie 87). In terms of ignored outcries by the public, the public’s cry for a cleaner and greener environment was not accepted by anyone. The Nigerian Police force literally killed 2,000 Ogoni tribesmen. The murders were done secretly. The Nigerian military and mobile police force literally killed the young Ogoni (McLukie 88). The tribe people were forcing the Shell Company to stop its oil extraction operations. The murders were conducted to personally killing the tribesmen or burning their houses. The murders would trigger fear in the hearts of the tribesman. After the killing of the tribesmen, the modern day stealers would think twice before implementing this illegal activity (McLukie 46). IN SUMMARIZING THE MAIN POINTS, the entry of the Shell Company into the Nigerian Delta has changed life to a less comfortable one for the Nigerian Delta residents. The above graphs indicate that there are oil spills in every year of operation. This means that there is a corresponding increase in the air pollution. The picture above shows another explosion causing another regular devastation of the environment, specifically the air and the water supply. The currency, deaths, oil production, Oil spill, and other statistical data indicate that the company is on the brink of self –destruction, environmentally. The issue that government is earning money in exchange for the deteriorating lives of the residents is not tenable: money can be earned again, the life of a person dying from oil –caused cancer of the respiratory system or asthma can never be replaced. The military action to kill the detractors of the government, like the Ogoni Tribe, should not be pursued because the lives of the people are more important when compared to a oil money. The priority of the statistical data above is to emphasize that the Nigerian Delta government and Shell Corporation leaders must not prioritize the oil intake over how many people must die in Nigeria Delta. Clearly, mass genocide, through oil spill poisoning, that is being put on the Nigerian people by their own government and the Shell Corporation should be stopped. REFERENCES Bruce, M. DFID Programme for Nigeria. London: The Stationery Press, 2009. Caselli, Graziella. Demography. London: Academic Press, 2005. Genova, Ann. The Politics of the Global Oil Industry. London: Greenwood Press, 2005. Jedrzej. Oil in Nigeria litigation . Germany: Lit Verlag Press, 2000. McLukie, C. Ken Saro -Wiwa: A Writer and a Political Activist. London: Lynne Rienner Press, 2000. No author, Shell in Nigeria: Oil Spills, Environmental Performance Journal, London, 2009 Onwuka, E. "Oil Extraction, Environmental Degradation and Poverty in Nigerian Delta." International Journal of Environmental Studies 62.6 (2005): 655 -662. Paden, John. Faith and Politics in Nigeria. London: Institute of Peace Press, 2008. Press, Europa. Africa South of the Sahara. London: Routledge Press, 2003. Rosenau, William. Corporations and Counterinsurgency. London: Rand Press, 2009. Williams, Lizzie. Nigeria: . London: Bradt Press, 2008. WEBSITES Nigerian Currency, retrieved December 7, 2010 from, http://www.exchange-rates.org/history/NGN/USD/G Burning Leaks, retrieved December 7, 2010 from, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell Nigerial Delta Oil Consumption, retrieved, December 7, 2010 from, http://earlywarn.blogspot.com/2010/02/nigerian-oil-production-analog-for-iraq.html Read More