Shell Oil Crisis Nigeria

In the early 20th century Britain colonized Africa and created false borders through out the continent.

The creation of such false countries as Nigeria caused the grouping of people that didn’t get along well. This action by Britain caused severs instabilities in the country of Nigeria. This may have made the country unstable at first but now the problem is caused by Shell. The problem in Nigeria is not caused currently on going not because of imperialism but because of the corruption in the government.The corruption in the government can be seen trough issues like the Niger Delta region not having any representation in the Nigerian government. This is a major issue because the Niger Delta is the region where 100% of the countries oil is mined.

This lack of representation makes the plights of that region unheard. The people who are most affected by the oil mining are the ones who are the least heard. Nigerians’ elite is the reason for the crisis in oil rich Nigeria. The corrupt elite siphon off much of the nations oil wealth for their own personal use leaving very little to be used for health services or education.

Since the Nigerian government isn’t keeping tract of how much oil it exports the corrupt individuals are able to the part of the profit for them selves with great ease. This is a very prominent problem in Nigeria, which is why it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Not much is being done to combat this rampant corruption and that can be plainly seen in the countries poverty. The Nigerian Government isn’t the only ones to be blamed though. Shell is the company who is mining for oil in Nigeria and is to blame for the constant oil spills that damage the ecosystem, as well as all around pollution of the region.The constant oil spills in Nigeria have made the water undrinkable.

Shell’s carelessness has lead to hundreds of oil spills in the Niger Delta region. On December 22, 2011 one of the largest shell related oil spills happened 75 miles of the coast of the Niger Delta. Shell reported that 40,000 barrels of crude oil were spilt, but past incidents show that Shell constantly under reports the amounts of oil spilt and its impact on the environment. Oil spills are not the only way shell damages the ecosystems of the Niger Delta. When the oil is mined natural gas escapes with it.

There are a few ways to deal with it. You could capture it and use it as a fuel source, capture it and pump it back into the ground, or set it on fire. Shell has decided to do deal with the gas by setting it on fire. This process of setting the gas on fire is called flaring and is the worst way of dealing with the natural gas. Shell is destroying the environment of the Niger Delta. Not only is Shell destroying the environment they are destroying human lives since the Life expectancy of Nigerians is 47 years on average.

Nigeria is notSince the Nigerian government isn’t keeping track of how much oil it exports the corrupt people can take a chunk of the profit with out the government even noticing. Having the Nigerian government record how much oil is being exported each month will make it harder for the corrupt politicians to siphon the profits. This proposed solution would have a positive impact on the problem of corruption in Nigeria. If politicians wouldn’t be able to steal the profits, they wouldn’t. The politicians are already wealthy enough to live comfortably for the remainder of their lives.

The only reason they take money is because it is human nature to take more than you need. These corrupt people may be greedy but they wouldn’t risk their job for more money when they have enough already. This solution would curb the corruption in the government and in turn funnel more money into healthcare and other social services. Shell is also responsible for causing devastation to the environment of the Niger Delta. Giving the Niger Delta region more representation in the government would stop the pollution of the environment.If the government put new laws in place to stop Shell form polluting the environment this wouldn’t work to effectively.

There would still be a big mess from before the regulation would be passed. You would have to make shell clean up the oil spills it already caused. Additionally there is no way to make sure that Shell doesn’t pay people to not pass the law. There is no way to completely make sure that the law would be passed.

The oil pipes could also be inspected regularly to keep the oil from draining into the ground and rivers. This solution would have a very positive effect on Nigeria.It would solve a multitude of problems. If the pipes were inspected regularly the oil wouldn’t drain as long from the vandalized pipes. This would minimize the waste of oil, and the damage to the environment would be minimized. The Shell conflict in Nigeria is a problem Nigeria is going to have to solve in its own and there is no way to eradicate it 100% but by trying keeping track of oil exports and passing laws to stop Shells, and other companies like it from destroying the environment and the lives of people in it we can move one step closer to having a more hospitable Nigeria.