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Petroleum Engineering Project Topics

Investigation of the Impact of Gas Quality on Noise a Case Study of Gbaramatu Kingdom

Investigation of the Impact of Gas Quality on Noise a Case Study of Gbaramatu Kingdom

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Investigation of the Impact of Gas Quality on Noise a Case Study of Gbaramatu Kingdom

CHAPTER ONE

OBJECTIVES

  • to identify and analyze the impact of gas quality on noise on Gbaramatu kingdom in Warri, Delta state,
  • to examine the relationships between the environmental, political, and impact of gas quality on noise in Gbaramatu kingdom, and how they have shaped and prolonged the suffering of the inhabitants of the region

CHAPTERย TWO

LITERATUREย REVIEW

In this section, I discuss the historical overview of oil exploration and exploitation in Gbaramatu kingdom. Secondly, I present my theoretical framework. Next, I address theย Nigerian government and the multinational companies in Gbaramatu kingdom to explainย the role of the government in the oil sector and their alliance with the multinational oilย companies operating in the region. Next, I address the environmental and political climate ofย the Niger Delta Region that contribution to various documented negative impacts. Finally, Iย address the negative noise implication in the region, with emphasis on documented impacts onย youthย andย theย economy.

ANย HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OFย OILย EXPLORATIONย ANDย EXPLOITATIONย INย NIGERIA

Steyn (2009,5) identifies that oil exploration in Nigeria officially started in 1903 when Nigeria Properties (Limited) and Nigeria and West African Development Syndicate (Limited) commenced exploration for bitumen, coal, and oil. Their two concessions covered a territory of 400 mยฒ in the Agabu-Mulekangbo area in the Lekki Lagoon region of Southern Nigeria. Steyn (2009) explains that in 1905 the Nigeria Bitumen Corporation was founded to acquire and operate the exploration concessions of Nigeria Properties and Nigeria and West African Development Syndicate. Nigeria Bitumen Corporation discontinued their operation in Nigeria during the first World War, but the exploration of crude oil in Nigeria was renewed again by the establishment of Shell/Dโ€™ Arcy Petroleum Development of Nigeria in 1937 which is an affiliate of mineral oil companies, Shell Petroleum Company and British Petroleum Company (Atsegbua 1999).

Atsegbua (1999,57) explains that the British colonial government gave Shell-BP an oil exploration license which covers the whole of Nigeriaโ€™s landmass around (375,000 square miles). By 1956, Shell-BP made Nigeriaโ€™s first commercial discovery at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State and later made several discoveries in other parts of the Niger Delta (Watts 2011,52). Shell-BP reduced its area of coverage in 1957 to 40,000sq miles of oil prospecting license because of the geological and geophysical investigations which favored Niger Delta as the region with oil yielding structures (Atsegbua 1999).

Atsegbua (1999,58) acknowledges that section 6(1) (a) of the Mineral Oil Ordinanceย of 1914, which did not allow non-British companies to participate in oil exploration or givenย explorationย license,ย wasย abolishedย in 1958.ย Thisย dissolutionย canceledย theย monopolyย ofย exploration rights given to Shell-BP in 1938 and opened the door for some international oilย companies to take up oil prospecting license concessions voluntarily relinquished by Shell-BP.ย The Nigerian Gulf Oil Company, a subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation of America, wasย licensed to explore for petroleum in 1961 along with other international oil companies, suchย as Mobile Oil, Texaco, Occidental, Agip the Italian state-owned oil company, and French-ย ownedย Safrap,ย whichย laterย becameย Elfย (Atsegbuaย 1999,ย 58).

 

CHAPTERย THREE

METHODOLOGYย ANDย METHODS

RESEARCHย DESIGNย 

The analysis contained in this research is based on the review of relevant literature onย theย subjectย matter.ย Toย thisย end,ย fiveย broadย categoriesย emergedย fromย the literatureย onย theย impact of gas quality on noise in Gbaramatu kingdom.ย These categories included, cultural,ย community, economy, family, and the youth impacts. However, twoย of these categoriesย namely,ย theย impactย onย youthย andย theย economyย wereย mostย prominentย inย theย reviewedย literature.ย Therefore, for this research, the social impact of gas quality on the local economy and theย youth is explored. I used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine these impacts, byย criticallyย analyzingย andย interpretingย theย textย andย theย languageย usedย toย addressย theseย impactsย inย the documents. The overall aim of critical discourse analysis is to link linguistic analysis toย socialย analysisย (Janksย 1997).

CHAPTERย FOUR

FINDINGS

Inย thisย chapter,ย Iย presentย myย findingsย fromย theย Criticalย Discourseย Analysisย Iย carriedย outย on documents concerning the impact of gas quality on noise on the Niger Delta region. Theย findings center on the twin focus of this study: the impact on the youth and the economy. Withย regards to the youth, the findings include information on the rise of militancy, sabotage, oilย theft and criminal gangs in the region. A section is also dedicated to highlight the conduct ofย the youth in Ogoni in relation to oil extraction in their area. With regards to the economy, theย impact includes loss of personal income and the rising cost of living. The chapter also describesย the claims and counter claims made by Shell, Amnesty International, and the media withย regards to the impacts of gas quality in Gbaramatu kingdom. Therefore the findings isย grouped into two parts, the first part captured the impact of the oil extraction and the secondย partย focusedย on theย interventionsย undertakenย byย Shellย andย theย government.

CHAPTERย FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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IMPACTSย ONย YOUTH

From the findings, Shell, through their sustainability reports tend to characterize theย youth of the region as people engaged in criminality by describing them variously as oil thievesย and millitants. The reports however failed to acknowledge the causative factors such as theย manyย yearsย ofย neglectย andย deprivationย fromย theย regionโ€™sย resources.

Accordingย toย Oluwaniyiย (2010)ย theย youthย ofย Nigerย Deltaย becameย militantsย afterย yearsย of peaceful protest and neglect, most of them resorted to violence to get the attention ofย internationalย community.ย Languageย is oftenย usedย asย a mediumย ofย dominationย andย socialย forceย andย servesย toย legitimizeย theย associationย ofย organizedย forceย (Huckinย 1997),ย thereforeย Shellย and

the Nigerian governmentย labelledย the youth ofย Niger Deltaย militants andย oil thievesย toย legitimizeย theย deploymentย ofย Nigerianย militaryย inย theย region.ย Anย exampleย wasย theย violentย crackย down of protesters in Umuechem community in Gbaramatu kingdom where armed policeย menย attackedย theย protestingย youth.

Accordingย toย aย subsequentย judicialย enquiry,ย theย villagersย hadย notย inย factย attackedย Shellย installations,ย butย conductedย aย peacefulย protestย demandingย thatย theย oilย companyย compensate them for damage caused by pollution from oil spills. Over the course ofย the next two days, the Mobile Police attacked the village, โ€œlike an invading army thatย had vowed to take the last drop of the enemyโ€™s bloodโ€, the inquiry found. The Mobileย Police, using guns and grenades, killed 80 people, throwing many corpses into a nearbyย river,ย theย survivorsย testifiedย (Amnestyย Internationalย 2017,19)

Inย 2009,ย Shellย sustainabilityย reportsย claimedย thatย militancy,ย sabotage,ย andย organizedย oilย theftย areย theย majorย challengesย confrontingย oilย productionย in Gbaramatu kingdom.ย Theย Shellย sustainability report 2009 to 2018 blamed 80 to 90 percent of the oil spill and environmentalย damage in the Niger Delta on sabotage and oil theft.ย An Amnesty International report fromย 2009 to 2019 argued with Shellโ€™s claims due to the results of their investigation. Amnestyย investigation revealed that Shell was covering up the original cause of the spills, which wereย mainly pipeline leakages due to corrosion, operational hazards due to lack of maintenance ofย equipment and technical default. Although Amnesty International and THISDAY Newspaperย acknowledged that oil theft, pipeline vandalization, sabotage and illegal refining of oil was aย major issue in the Niger Delta, they noted that they do not cause as much environmentalย damage as Shell attributed to them. THISDAY Newspaper reported that Shell was trying toย avert the oil spill cleanup responsibility and compensation to Gbaramatu kingdom by shifting theย blameย toย oilย thievesย andย sabotage.

Shell and the Nigerian government are business partners, operating the highly profitableย Nigerianย oilย fieldsย asย jointย venture.ย Accordingย toย Brainย Andersonย chairpersonย ofย Shellย Nigeriaย 1994 to 1997 said that โ€˜โ€˜the government and the oil industry are inextricably entangledโ€™โ€™ thisย is the reason the Nigerian government are more interested in oil production increase than theย increase in the living standard of the Niger Delta people. (Amnesty International 2017). Theย statement confirms that Nigerian government will suppress any form of resistance or protestย from the community that will prevent oil production, without considering the demand of theย community

IMPACTย ONย ECONOMY

The primary interest of multinational oil companies is to maximise profit , sometimesย withย lessย regardsย toย theย consequencesย ofย theirย action.ย However,ย oilย explorationย andย exploitationย in Gbaramatu kingdom the research found, has destroyed the livelihood of the people sinceย they can either fish or farm due environmentalย pollutionย in their communities.ย Also, aย subsequent loss of income and rising cost of living had led many youths either to migrate toย nearย byย citiesย orย toย engageย inย illegalย activiesย suchย asย oilย theftย andย illegalย refining. Thisย sharplyย contrastsย theย positiveย outlookย paintedย by Shellย throughย theirย variousย reports.

For instance, with regards to employment, the figures outlined in the 2009 sustainability report (an estimated 6000 people employed for the Afam project) is insiginifcant taking into the levels of unemployment and poverty still prevalent in the region. The level of poverty is so high the people do not have access to basic amenities such as education, health, transport or running water. The provision of the estimated 6000 jobs in 2009 and the subsequent training of additional total number of 5000 service providers in 2010 not substantial enough to change the economic dynamics of the region. Though these figures looks good for the corporate image of Shell, the reality is that economic condition of 30 million people cannot be changed by providing 6,000 jobs and training another 5,000 in the following year in various skills. This research therefore agrees with the the conclusions of a UNDP report (2013) that addressing many economic challenges of the Niger Delta region begins with the use of its vast oil wealth to create an environment where everyone can thrive.

In addition, the loss of livelihood as a result of the environmental pollution also hadย dire consequences on the people. Farmlands and river bodies which served as a source ofย livelihoods were destroyed as a result of the oil extraction. The 2011 investment report by Shellย thatย anย amountย of 78ย millionย dollarsย wasย providedย underย theย Globalย Memorandum ofย Understanding (GMOU) initiative to deal with theses environmental destructions only coveredย areasย withย someย 3ย millionย peopleย outย ofย the totalย estimatedย populationย ofย 30ย million.ย Thisย doesย not address the immense challenge the various oil spills posed to Gbaramatu kingdom. Forย instance, in the Bodo oil spill saga in 2008 according to Amesty international report (2014)ย disrupted the lives of some 69,000 people in Ogoniland. The volume of spillage according toย theย reportย wasย comparableย toย theย Exxon Valdezย spillย inย Alaskaย inย 1989.

The situation of oil spillages in the region is further compounded by the fact that, inย situations where attemptsย were made to clean up, they have been grossly inadequate. The 2018ย Amnesty International report confirms this assertion when they stated among others that theย Nigerย Deltaย suffersย fromย anย epidemicย ofย oilย spills.ย Everyย yearย hundredsย ofย oilย spllsย damageย theย environment and devastate the lives of people living there. Neither the powerful actors in theย oil industry, nor the Nigerian government, have yet been able to put into practice lastingย solutionsย thatย preventย theย spills,ย andย thenย cleanย themย upย effectively.ย Theย cumulativeย impactย of decades of contamination makes the Niger Delta, Africaโ€™s most important oil-producingย region,ย oneย ofย theย mostย pollutedย placesย onย earthโ€ย (Amnesty Internationalย 2018a).

Shell technically omits reports on the devastating effects of pollution that they created in Gbaramatu kingdomย whichย cannotย beย compensatedย byย fewย claimsย ofย economicย empowerment.

CONCLUSION

Niger Delta Region have become a place for continuous conflicts and deep-rootedย mistrust for the Indigenous people since the discovery of oil more than 50years ago (Wattsย 2011). The struggle for economic and infrastructural development that predates Nigerianย independenceย by the Niger Delta people seems unachievable withย the present political structureย in Nigeria (Akubor 2017). However, the incidence of oil spills negatively impacted the Nigerย Delta communities and the environment described as one among the worst impacted zoneย globally. There are times when unprecedented frustration erupts within Gbaramatu kingdom, theย youths,ย andย theย multinationalย oilย companiesย thatย operatesย inย theย regionย dueย toย failed negotiation,ย lackย ofย basicย amenitiesย andย environmentalย degradationย (Wattsย 2007).ย Theย multinational oil companies and the Nigerian government have a shared interest inย theย continuous exploitation of oil in Gbaramatu kingdom with little or no regard to theย environmental implicationsย ofย theirย action.ย Theย Nigerianย governmentย enacted variousย decreesย such as the Land Use Act and Petroleum Act1978ย which deprived the indigenous people ofย ownership stakes in land and its resources as well as deny them control of natural resourcesย (International Crissย Groupย 2006).

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