What are the environmental impacts of economic development in Nigeria?

The rapid rate of economic development in Nigeria has harmed the environment.

Environmental Impacts of Mining and oil extraction

Oil extraction in the Niger Delta has had a significant impact on the environment. Oil spills have destroyed aquatic ecosystems, and burning gases associated with oil extraction have caused considerable air pollution, releasing greenhouse gases and causing respiratory problems for local people. Tin mining has caused soil erosion and has polluted water supplies.

The oil company Royal Dutch Shell has caused devastating environmental pollution due to two massive oil spills at Bodo in Ogoniland, a small region of the Niger Delta. In 2008, the Bodo-Bonny trans-Niger pipeline ruptured, pumping 120,000 barrels of oil daily through the community. 20 sq km of creaks and inlets, on which Bodo and as many as 30 other settlements depend, has been destroyed. At the time, no attempt was made to clean up the spill, which had collected in creeks, washed in and out with the tide, infiltrated farmland, and entered the water table.

Compensation has been paid to the community. However, none of this was spent on cleaning up the area. It is estimated that it will cost more than $100m to clear the effects of the oil and restore the mangrove swamps that once lined the rivers and creeks.

It was not until an investigation by the United Nations, some ten years after the spill, that steps were taken to clean up the area.

Environmental Impacts of Industrial development

The rapid growth of industry in Nigeria has led to the development of unregulated, large-scale industrial developments without planning permission. This has led to:

toxic chemical discharge into drains and open sewers in cities such as Lagos and Kano. This poses a considerable danger to public health and ecosystems.
due to the widespread emission of poisonous gases that affect the health of local people and contribute to climate change.
up to 80% of Nigeria’s forests have been lost. Deforestation has led to increased soil erosion and climate change gases being released into the atmosphere. An important carbon store has been lost due to deforestation.

Environmental Impacts of Urban growth

The rapid growth and urban sprawl of cities like Lagos have considerably impacted the environment. The countryside has been lost to the construction of squatter settlements and industry. Inadequate sanitation and increased domestic and industrial waste have polluted watercourses. Urban growth has also led to a rapid increase in traffic, increasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.