Effects of Crude Oil Exploration Activities on Okpai Community of Delta State, Nigeria

With seemingly increasing global demands for crude oil, its related products have become a major threat with preponderant deleterious effects on human environmental health. Current study investigated the effects of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities on Okpai community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Using the purposive sampling technique, about one hundred (100) residents of Okpai community who have lived there (or in the Niger Delta) for 3 or more years were ethically recruited from an estimated population of 7, 000 inhabitants of the target community (Okpai) for this study. Participants were then recruited into three focus groups; each consisting of individuals who met the selection criteria. The groups were gathered prior to conducting an oral interview. Socio-demographic, variables were then obtained after which informed consents and ethical approval was given. Participants were immediately issued questionnaires to obtain relevant information relating to oil exploration activities in their community with reference to daily changes. Group 1 consisted of equal numbers of interviewees of age 18-30 (50%); whereas, groups 2 and 3 comprised of larger proportion of participants between 31-45 (50%) and 45-60 (83%) respectively. Obtained data were then analysed and expressed as mean ± Standard deviation of simple percentage, while presenting in statistical tables and chats. Following careful observation, study revealed a statistically significant (p<0.5) increase in the effect of oil exploration on most of the activities of Okpai community, indicative from respondents that crude oil exploration greatly negatively affected Okpai community activities. Study also demonstrated the perception of participants on the effect of oil exploration activities on the physical health of the inhabitants within the study area. Psycho-social effect of exposure to oil-related environmental degradation amongst individuals in developing nations is also recommended for future investigations relating to this topic.