News Story

Few weeks back, the BP oil spill was thought to be one of the worst disasters in the U.S. 

But remember Exxon Valdez? All the dead birds covered in black spill? Well, in the Niger Delta, imagine Exxon Valdez happening every year for the past 50 years. 

Experts say that in the Niger Delta, upto 30 million barrels of oil have been spilt in the Niger Delta since oil exploration began in 1958.This is the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez every year for 50 years. 

However, the government in the U.S responds to the BP oil spill and the media all around the world is all over it. Things are different in Nigeria. The Nigerian government cannot bother to give issue statements, sometimes, to decry the situations.


But it is not just the U.S media that have been covering the Gulf disaster with great dedication. Media around the world are covering the Gulf oil spill in a way that not even the NIgerian media covers oil spills in Nigeria.


The Niger Delta, which is home to more than 30 million people and is considered on eof the world's most important ecosystems, produces almost all of Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings. And in the ecosystems now lies dead fish and oily water. This has been the reality for all Nigerians for the past 50 years. Some say that the Nigerians have not had a single night of total darkness due to the gas flares.