According to National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) data, Nigeria recorded 9,856 oil spills between 2011 to 2021 and a total of 468,803 barrels of oil has been released to the country’s inland waters, shores, open seas, and swamps. The highest number of oil spills was recorded in 2013 with a total of 1,666 spills and a loss of 32,292 barrels of oil. The highest record of loss was recorded in 2014, with a total loss of 78,890 barrels of oil and 1, 521 oil spills.
Oil spills result in health and environmental problems as well as socio-economic problems which threaten the ecosystem, people’s livelihood, and human health. Oil spill is often caused by old or poorly maintained infrastructure, oil theft, vandalism, and accidents.
Clean-ups are usually carried out after oil spills and compensation is given to affected communities by oil companies. However, there have been low records of cleanup by companies.