Worse, despite revenues, the Delta’s peoples have yet to benefit from theoil extracted from beneath their feet. As with many of Nigeria’s current problems, this issue sees its roots in the days of British colonialism, in an era when the Delta was still fertile farmland with petroleum beneath. Historical ProfileThe NigerDelta region of Nigeria is surrounded by vast bodies of water, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean into an intricate network of rivers, creeks, mangroves, and estuaries that have sustained life for centuries. Oilspill is a common fallout of oil exploitation and exploitation in theNigerdelta region, with an estimated total of over 7000 oilspill incidents reported over a 50-year period.6 This study used the quantitative data contained in published, peer-reviewed studies... Oil giant Shell's Nigerian subsidiary is responsible for oil pipeline leaks in theNigerDelta, a Dutch appeals court has ruled. It was ordered to pay unspecified damages to farmers who have long complained ofthe poisoning of fish ponds and farmland. TheNigerDelta region, one ofthe largest wetlands ofthe world and the largest delta in Africa is located in the Southern part of Nigeria. The area is rich in petroleum deposit, which has necessitated oil exploration and exploitation activities since 1958. Inside Nigeria’s NigerDelta pipeline crisis, crude theft, illegal refining, and state security responses reshape the nation’s oil economy. Efforts to extract oil and gas have resulted in numerous oilspills, which have damaged the region’s biodiversity, as well as the livelihoods of coastal communities. NigerDelta mangroves are also affected by logging, farming and urban expansion, and are being replaced by invasive nipa palm. Up to 1.5 million tons of oil, 50 times the pollution unleashed in the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster, has been spilt in the ecologically precious NigerDelta over the past 50 years, it was revealed yesterday.