The aim of this paper was to examine community perspective to petroleum exploitation and pollution in Ogoni, Rivers State. To achieve this aim, the objective was to determine the extent to which the pollution of the environment has affected the people’s views of usefulness of the resources in their communities. The survey design method was employed. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 21 oil bearing communities from the four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ogoniland. The data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions, oral testimonies and questionnaires. Being qualitative; transcriptions, rewriting and coding were employed in data analysis, except for the questionnaires which adopted descriptive statistical methods. Results showed that majority of the people have not benefitted from the petroleum resources in their communities. It was revealed that pollution has changed the people’s views of the usefulness of petroleum resources, as they clearly see the resources in their communities as a curse. However, many communities believed that there was no sincerity on the part of their leaders, as the dividends claimed to be given by the multinational oil companies (MNOCs) for the welfare and benefit of the people were not visible. It is recommended that in order to change the perception of the people toward petroleum exploitation, the MNOCs should massively develop the host communities with basic social amenities and deal directly with the land owners whose portions of land are directly affected and not through the chiefs or the Community Based Organisations (CBOs).

This study was designed to mirror the deep issues behind the crisis in the Niger Delta region, using the oil exploration of Ogoniland as the case study and proffering possible solutions on how best to combat the identified problems. To achieve this aim, focus group discussions, unstructured interviews and oral testimonies were employed for the collection of data; and data analysis were carried out using simple coding for recognition, transcription from the local dialect to English Language, rewriting and interpretations. The results revealed that the people’s expectation from the Government and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has not been met; illegal refineries and other criminal vices are now fully in operation in Ogoniland. The people blamed the Shell Petroleum Development Company, the Federal Government, some of their corrupt chiefs, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and some of the community youths for the problems in the communities. However, the Ogoni people believed that the full implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programmes (UNEP) report on Ogoniland and the Ogoni Bill of Rights will ameliorate all their sufferings. It was recommended that SPDC should avoid reaching agreements with the traditional rulers and politicians from Ogoni on projects bordering on development of the land that excludes the people. It was also recommended that SPDC should carry out town hall meetings, focus group discussions or even distribute questionnaires in the local communities in Ogoni communities to ascertain the best solutions from the local people (who are the majority) rather than taking only the decisions from Ogoni leaders, which may not be the consensus opinion of the people.

Petroleum exploration has brought a lot of revenue to the Nigerian government as most of the country's investments and expenditures depend on the profits from oil. However, the processes of petroleum exploitation over the years have resulted in the destruction of the Niger Delta ecosystem. Thus, this study aims to analyse the impact of pollution on the Niger Delta Ecosystem in Nigeria and identify persons responsible for the devastation. Consequently, published literatures, newspapers, stored recordings and other valuable materials on the Niger Delta region were reviewed extensively. The study revealed that the stakeholders (government, operating oil companies, and host community representatives) in the business of petroleum exploration have always denied their involvement in the pollution and destruction of the region, but the fact remains that the operating oil companies are responsible for the numerous spills from their rusty or outdated pipelines and the gases that are been flared in the region; the illegal refining and pipeline vandalism that are perpetrated by some members (militant groups) of the host communities have resulted in a more polluted environment; and government negligence in monitoring and supervising the oil operations in the region and ensure that polluted sites are adequately remediated had compounded the crisis and devastation in the region. All the stakeholders, in the business of petroleum exploration should accept responsibility of protecting the environment against further pollution by avoiding acts and practices that destroys the environment. In conclusion, the blame directly goes to the government, operating oil companies and the community representatives (militant groups, political

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Port Harcourt acquired the name “Garden City” for its neatness, beauty, organisation of the buildings and well constructed road networks across the entire city; but this once beautiful city has been overtaken by garbage. Hence, the objectives of this study were to find out why the solid waste management strategies employed by the Rivers State Waste Management Agency  and their contractors are not working and provide best solutions in curbing the challenges militating against solid waste management of the city. Purposive sampling technique was used to determine the sample. Because of the time constraint and the wide area of coverage for this study; 10 areas consisting of 10 communities were selected based on their size, popularity and centrality. Oral interviews and field observation were the methods of data collection and the data obtained through oral interviews were analysed through simple coding, groupings, re-writing, transcribing and interpretations. The results revealed that the solid wastes generated are uncontrolled due to overcrowded settlements; an uncultured way of living of the residents; lack of the needed man-power and technology on the part of the solid waste contractors. It was also revealed that the Government do not carry out proper monitoring and uses unskilled and unqualified persons to carry out their jobs. It was concluded that to adequately clean up the city of Port Harcourt, the Government should stand up to their responsibility of keeping the city clean and sensitize the people on the need to package and dispose of their waste properly.