A review of oil exploration and spillage: Its environmental impacts in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

Colonel Drake drilled a 70 feet well in Titusville, Pennsylvania and discovered oil. In 1956, Shell British Petroleum discovered crude oil in the Niger Delta within Nigeria and since then oil exploration and exploitation have been ongoing for several decades. The Niger Delta consists of highly diverse ecosystems supportive of numerous species of terrestrial and aquatic fauna and flora, and is the largest wetland in Africa. The oil spillages ongoing for several decades have characterized the area by contaminated rivers, stream and forest, which constitutes the major income source for the majority of the local population inhabiting the region, which are mainly dependent on ecosystem services. Approximately 1.5 million tons of oil has been spilled within the Niger Delta region over the span of several decades, most of which was partially cleaned or not cleaned totally, making some areas wastelands.