The Curse of the Niger Delta; A Blessing turned curse

Hmmmm, I take a deep breath then sigh. As I sit on the speed boat and the breeze blows against my face, I get lost in thoughts. How long has it been? 10, 11 years? I can’t believe it’s been that long. It’s true when they say time flies. It feels good to be back home.



She taps me on the shoulder and proceeds to speak in our native Ijaw dialect 'Iye’ ma se’se’ seide – Everything is spoilt. Then bursts into fake laughter. I follow suit.



I laugh. Like I am not affected by what she just said. Like all is well. But all wasn't. And I felt it. Instantly, a cloud of sadness weighed over me. I’ve been away for so long that I didn’t know what to expect. And what I will see now may destroy all my childhood memories.



‘If I see you near this river again eh, you will be thrown inside, try me!!!’ My mom yells at myself and my sister as she drags both of us inside our house. Against her advice, we have been tying ropes on tree branches and standing on the jetty in an attempt to catch fishes. Though always unsuccessful, we love the experience. The rush of adrenaline as we run and hide whenever an adult is approaching. We hid so we don’t get caught and reported to our mom.



My sister and I had the luxury of visiting our village Jones Creek near Kokodiabone in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. We visited only once every December for Christmas celebration. And this opportunity wasn't taken for granted. We explored! At around 7 am before the sun came out, we entered the bushes at our backyard in search of snails. We dug earthworms to use as bait for fishing. The fishes were then used as bait to catch crabs. We would tie it on the crab net and lower it into the river so crabs that attempted to eat the fish would get caught. What an adventure! When it was mango season, my sister and I would climb the mango tree by our house in an attempt to pluck mangos. Of course, we were advised not to but we were kids and it was fun.

Jones Creek Map

Located in the Western Niger Delta region with a population of fewer than 2,000 people, Jones Creek is arguably one of the smallest among the villages in the Gbaramatu Kingdom. We grew up knowing each other. People were free to leave stores and houses unattended without fear of thieves. Accompanied by a very lovely atmosphere, there was peace and a sense of togetherness. Even though we received little from the government, we were happy. The crops grew well and the animals were healthy. We ate and danced together.  We looked out for each other. Just like a family would because we were one. And we loved it. The village lifestyle. Nature. Freedom. You name it!


Our village wasn’t only wealthy as a result of peaceful relations but also because of the abundance of crude oil/petroleum. Nigeria is the highest oil-producing country in Africa. And Jones Creek is situated in the Niger Delta region where 70% of oil exports in Nigeria are produced The Niger Delta is made up of 9 states Delta, Bayelsa, River, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Abia, Imo, and Edo states. Jones Creek owns some of the Giant oil wells among these states so it just makes sense to say we were blessed. And so we thought until our blessing turned to curse.



The first big storm came with the state government selling the crude oil to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). With shareholders such as Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Royal Dutch Shell plc. Houseboats were situated in Jones Creek in no time. These live-in boats carried hundreds of engineers from all over the world whose main duty was to extract the crude oil. Producing so many barrows of crude oil per day, one would think the village would be compensated. But the opposite was the case.



Until I left Jones Creek in 2009, there was no visible sign of development. No hospital was built. Critically ill people had to stay with the local village doctors in their apartments where treatments were administered. The only hospital was about 35 mins drive to a major surrounding village called Okerenkoko. And it was only by God’s grace that a few people made it there on time. Some were not so lucky.



No roads were built. There were no cars or tricycles in Jones Creek because of the small population of the village. However, the bad condition of roads became a major problem during rainy seasons. With large saturated water and the body of land surrounded by water just like an Island, the village was always swapped when it rained heavily. Making it difficult to move around freely.



No pipe-borne waters. No boreholes were built in Jones Creek. As a result, all the villagers depended greatly on rainwater. It was used for bathing, washing, cooking, and was even drank most times. The freshwater was used on occasions when it didn't rain.  Every once in a while, the villagers traveled to nearby villages that owned boreholes to fetch water for drinking.



No schools. Less than 50% of the villagers were educated as a result of the lack of school in Jones Creek. The nearest school was located in Okerenkoko which is considered too far to commute every day. Some people who had the means traveled out of the village to the city in pursuit of education. And anyone who didn’t face the risk of staying uneducated.



As popularly noted by the Karl Marx Revolution Theory, where there is injustice, there is resistance. And the villagers of Jones Creek were fed up! They started taking action around 2010 against the Federal Government. The Niger Delta militants, in the fight for better opportunities, urged the then Government President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to provide boreholes, hospitals, and schools for the people. Little efforts were made but of course, little is not enough! So, the people took matters into their own hands. They "took back" the oil.

Children fetching contaminated water

It’s about 2 hrs boat drive from Warri city to my village. About an hour and 15 mins in, I start seeing the changes. The tree branches by the water banks. They used to be light green. Full of life. They are now dark brown. They are dying as a result of the spill.



The river no longer looks fresh. With large quantities of oil unevenly scattered across the water, it looks contaminated. It is no longer safe to use. Not safe to drink nor bath with. Boreholes and wells also have visible signs of oil contamination but are still consumed by thousands of people And this consumption has lead to deadly sicknesses and diseases such as blood disorders, cancers of different organs, negative reproductive conditions, impaired disease immunity, and growth; respiratory diseases.



There is also a high infant mortality rate. According to the Human Rights Organization, oil spills may kill around 16,000 infants in the Niger Delta annually within their first month of life. 



Another major problem is hunger and the lack of food to consume. The main source of food for the Ijaws is fishing. The fishes and other sea animals are being killed as a result of the contaminated water. They float on the river surface, dead from the pollution. Being dependent on water for food, thousands of people starve in the Niger Delta.

Dead fishes floating on water

Oil spills are common throughout the Niger Delta area, as a consequence of inadequate attempts by shareholders to perform safe operations. There is pipeline corrosion, poor maintenance of infrastructure, spills or leaks at the wellheads, human error, and taking of the oil by some villagers. Due to the lack of adequate compensation by the government, some villagers perform underground activities to take the oil for sale. I say they take because one can not steal what is rightfully theirs.



When contacted about the unsafe amount of oil spills, SHELL and other shareholders provide inaccurate accounts of the oil spill and refuse to provide solutions. Up to date, the Niger Delta region continues suffering from the aftereffects of the oil spill.



Will this issue ever the rectified? Will we ever be adequately compensated? I do not know but what I know is that crude oil is a blessing turned curse to the Niger Delta!

Check out the article on 10 Things You Don’t know about Nigeria.