The numerous incidents of oil spills in the Niger Delta are a serious problem that has and is still tormenting many Nigerians. The plight of farmers, fishermen and the other residents who live in such oil polluted areas is so enormous, but ‘little or no’ remedy has been offered to ameliorate their conditions. As more and more oil spill cases are encountered, every involved party to such an ordeal tries to lay the blame on the other party. But who then is to be blamed? Is it the locals, the oil companies, the Nigerian government, or who…?
The oil companies (e.g Shell, Chevron and Exxon Mobil) blame the locals of sabotaging and vandalizing the oil pipelines, which then causes the spillage. Such a claim was recently backed by a Shell spokesman in The observer newspaper article of May 30th, 2010. According to the spokesman, "We had 132 spills last year, as against 175 on average. Safety valves were vandalised; one pipe had 300 illegal taps. We found five explosive devices on one. Sometimes communities do not give us access to clean up the pollution because they can make more money from compensation." Such claims are been contradicted by the locals who on their part, blame the oil companies as well as the Nigerian government for allowing such situations to persist. From the same newspaper article (URL link above), a member of the Ogoni people responded by stating that the blame should fall on the oil companies and government who don’t give attention to the plights of the masses. He said, "If this Gulf accident had happened in Nigeria, neither the government nor the company would have paid much attention."
Who do we blame for these cases of oil spills in the country? Government, locals, or the oil companies or …? As I write this post, I can’t help but question; do we really have to point accusing fingers on anyone? I remember the words of Catherine Pulsifer: “Fix the problem, not the blame.” Nigeria is a great nation and we the citizens should be UNITED as one and try to find improved solutions to these oil spill problems. It is only when we stop the blaming that a possible solution can arise.
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