Righting the Injustices Within the Nigerian Energy Industry

The Niger-Delta of Nigeria is the predominant base for Nigeria’s thriving petroleum industry and provides the bulk of the country’s foreign earnings. Due to the relevance of the petroleum industry to the Nigerian economy, the Nigerian government, in a continuous show of weak political will, fails to adequately regulate the industry. The lax enforcement of laws and regulations has resulted in a situation in which there are numerous oil spills yearly, and the flaring of gas is routinely carried out. Consequently, the Niger-Delta region is one of the most polluted areas globally, and the people living within the region bear a disproportionate burden from petroleum production when compared to other areas in the country. On the other hand, the oil-producing areas of the Niger-Delta suffer from energy poverty generally. The thrust of this work is the application and practice of principles of energy justice to the inequitable burdens borne by the Niger-Delta region. This is done by utilising the recognition justice tenet of energy justice to ensure that the plight of those living within close proximity of exploration and production operations are recognised, addressed and injustices rectified.