Analysis of the Socio-Economic Impact of Oil Spills in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria
- February 26, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Geography, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue II, February 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705
Collins H. Wizor (PhD)1* and Sunday O. Eludonyi1
1Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B 5323, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Abstract: This study is anchored on the socio-economic impact of oil spillage in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Due to the landmass of the area, only three communities were selected and these were B-dere, K- dere and kpor communities. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select these communities because of the incessant oil spillage in the area. Again, the sources of data used in this study include both the primary and the secondary sources while the instrument adopted to collect data from the sampled respondents was questionnaire. A total of 147 respondents were used as the sampling for the entire study which represents ten per cent (10%) of 1471 of farmers and fishermen who were the target population. In analyzing the data, the statistical tool used was percentages with the aid of a well-constructed table. The result of the survey showed that Farmers and fishermen are the most hit during an oil spill, farmers activities in the area have reduced to the barest minimum as a result of oil spillage and oil spills in the community have contributed to starvation in the area. The study further revealed that the high rate of polluted water observed is as a result of groundwater contamination in the area. Consequently, the study recommended among others; emphasis on remediation should not be an agitation for compensation rather a move to restore the originality of the land, the areas covered by SHELL pipes and their manifold should be declared a non-farm area and at the same time the company should make provisions for any zone classified as a farming centre and the ongoing plans to implement the Ogoni UNEP Report should not be politicized.
Keywords: Host Communities, Impact, Oil Spill, Shell, Socio-economic, Ogoni
