Problem Statement : Oil exploration and exploitation has been on-going for several decades in
the Niger Delta. It has had disastrous impacts on the environment in the region and has adversely
affected people inhabiting that region. The Niger Delta consist of diverse ecosystems of mangrove
swamps, fresh water swamps, rain forest and is the largest wetland in Africa and among the ten most
important wetland and marine ecosystems in the world, but due to oil pollution the area is now
characterized by contaminated streams and rivers, forest destruction and biodiversity loss in general the
area is an ecological wasteland. This affects the livelihood of the indigenous people who depend on the
ecosystem services for survival leading to increased poverty and displacement of people. The oil industry
located within this region has contributed immensely to the growth and development of the country which
is a fact that cannot be disputed but unsustainable oil exploration activities has rendered the Niger Delta
region one of the five most severely petroleum damaged ecosystems in the world. Studies have shown
that the quantity of oil spilled over 50 years was a least 9-13 million barrels, which is equivalent to 50
Exxon Valdez spills.