ILLEGAL REFINING OF CRUDE OIL IN NIGERIA NIGER DELTA REGION: EMERGING NEW SOCIAL DYNAMICS

This paper focused on illegal refining of crude oil in Nigeria Niger Delta Region: Emerging new social dynamics. This paper was triggered by painful observation of health challenges, environment degradation, and gun battles between owners of the illegal refineries and security agencies in Niger Delta region. By history and records, Nigeria Niger Delta region petroleum history and environment is one of the most tragic and horrible in the world. Recently, a more hazardous air pollutant known as black soot has emerged in the region causing dark smoke in the sky of rural communities and urban center, such as Port Harcourt, etc. This paper examines the complex interplay between illegal refining of crude oil in Niger Delta, with the objective of exploring how this has reshaped the social dynamics of the people over the years. The objective is to contribute deeper understanding of the nexus between illegal refining, environmental pollution, social dynamics. This paper utilized secondary sources of data, and argued that poverty in the Niger Delta region has led to proliferation of illegal refining of crude oil by the youth, which usher new social dynamics in the communities, by encouraging ill-gotten wealth. Dialectical materialism was explained and adopted as theoretical framework. The paper concludes that the youths believed that Federal Government has failed woefully in their responsibility to provide jobs for them, and social amenities, now they resorted to illegal refining of crude oil as means of livelihood, empowerment and sustainer. This paper recommended as follows: Aggressive efforts should be made by government at all levels (local, state, and federal) with or without any special intervention development commission to tackle the age-long problems of gross underdevelopment in Niger Delta region by way of providing basic amenities such as roads, drinkable water, hospitals, and physiological needs to the people.