Oil spill incidents and pipeline vandalization in Nigeria: Impact on public health and negation to attainment of Millennium development goal: the Ishiagu example

The purpose of this paper is to review oil spill incidents and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria between 1970 and 2006 and to examine the potential danger posed by such activities to public health.

The approach adopted to achieve this objective is questionnaire administration on health impacts. Also secondary sources of information come from textbooks and journals. However, data from natural resources exploitation and hazards are collated and analyzed.

It is evident that, out of the 1,000 reported oil spill incidents analyzed, some hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil are lost to the environment. Graphic pictures of typical oil spill through acts of vandalism in Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria are analyzed and reviewed. The run‐off and sedimentation of this pollutant in fresh water systems severely degrade water quality, affect fish spawning and aquatic invertebrates' habitats, thus lowering food web productivity. Incidentally the spill‐over effect on humans who directly depend on fish and other aquatic food as an alternative protein supplement is quite inundating. The effects on humans include irritation, dermatitis, cancer, occurrence of abortion, organ failure and genetic disorder.

The limitations encountered in this research work include logistics problems, poor response and uncooperative attitude from respondents, transportation difficulties and restricted access to impacted sites by law enforcement agents and funding. Therefore subsequent researchers in this area should be equipped adequately with both the necessary protective gadgets and increased funding to meet challenges of this nature.

The practical implication of the study is that oil spill incidents should be documented and reported early enough for prompt attention by the regulatory agencies in order to protect and enhance the quality of the environment.

The value of the paper is that oil spill and pipeline vandalization devastate the environment, pollute dependable potable water sources such as streams and rivers and should be seen as a serious threat and negation to the attainment of the United Nations Millennium development goals.