The curse of the black gold

As day 80 passes by since oil has been spilling in the Gulf of Mexico (at least 120 mil. gallons so far), one can’t help but be reminded of another on-going oil pollution disaster across the Atlantic. Oil has been spilling haphazardly in the Niger Delta in Nigeria for the past half a century. It is estimated that up to 13 million barrels of oil have been spilt in the Delta, an amount equivalent to an Exxon Valdez disaster every year for 40 years. Sadly, the Niger Delta spillage has not attracted the attention of the global public nor the political activism as we see for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spil.

To highlight this on-going disaster that is affecting the livelihood, health and the environment of the 30 million residents of the delta, please take a moment and view the slideshow about Ed Kashi’s book ‘The Curse of Black Gold.’

Ed Kashi discussing the Niger Delta disaster:

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Joji was born and grew up in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He graduated with a B.Sc in Biochemistry in Germany, and is now pursuing a Masters degree in Microbiology & Immunology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland . Joji is particularly interested in matters related to global health, and basic science research that tackles public health challenges. He is engaged in mentoring Tanzanian students in higher education issues, most notably at the Kibaha High School. In this capacity, Joji blogs with Vijana FM about scientific research and development, and how youth can gain greater access to higher learning.

This post has 2 Comments

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  1. Ujue nimeiangalia hii kitu kama mara tatu hivi… lakini nashindwa kujizuia kuuliza: Hivi, mbona hii ishu haiko CNN au vyombo vingine vya habari vya kimataifa?

    40 years?? Years???

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