Nigeria’s military urged not to add to oil pollution

Like many communities in southern Nigeria, the people of Okpare rely on the waters of the creeks that surround them for fishing and farming to survive.

Pollution is a constant threat in the Niger Delta but locals say it is not just thieves stealing crude oil from pipelines that crisscross the region who threaten their livelihoods.

Military operations against illegal “bush refineries” and militants who target oil and gas infrastructure are also adding to the damage.

“Aquatic life in our rivers has been destroyed and our farms have been ravaged by fire as a result of the burning of stolen crude oil by the army,” said Okpare resident Gabriel Ekoh.

Oil is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, accounting for some 70 percent of overall government revenue and nearly 90 percent of export earnings.

The West African giant, which is home to more than 180 million people, currently churns out some 1.8 million barrels per day.

But oil has been a curse for the people of the Niger Delta since it was found in commercial quantities in the 1950s.

Despite the billions of dollars it has generated, few locals have shared in the wealth and the region remains desperately poor.

Instead, theft from pipelines, or “bunkering” as it is called locally, has become commonplace.

Nigeria’s government in 2015 estimated that the equivalent of at least 250,000 barrels of crude were being stolen every day, feeding a thriving black market for illicitly refined fuel.