Assessing The Risks of Oil Spills and Other Environmental Hazards in Bonny and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria (Published)
This study assessed the emergency and risk drivers in oil exploration activities in Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria. The descriptive research survey design was adopted for the study. Five research questions were raised to guide the study. The data for the study were collected using a five-point likert scale questionnaire containing a total of 25-items and utilized as a major instrument for the study. In all, three hundred and sixty (360) respondents made up the sample for the study. Arithmetic mean and standard deviation were the major statistical tools used for the data analysis. The results of the study showed that fire outbreak, destruction of crops and farmland, pollution of water bodies and marine lives, destruction of mangroves and increase in the cases of health threatening are the risks and environmental hazards associated with oil exploration in the study areas. The findings of the study also revealed that oil exploration greatly impact the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the people as well as the health of the people and the environment of the study areas. Based on the above findings, the study recommended among other things, that oil exploration should be operated within stringent regulations designed to safeguard the welfare of employees, the environment, and nearby communities, oil companies operating in the areas should ensure regular monitoring and maintenance of their equipment and facilities so as to reduce the occurrence of pollution due to faulty oil and gas facilities, that oil companies should formulate and practice clearly defined emergency response strategies to manage potential incidents like oil spills or fires effectively.
Keywords: Assessment, emergencies, oil and exploration, risk divers