Perceived determinants of oil spillage on agricultural lands in Ibeno Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The foods consumed in Ibeno Local Government Area in particular and Akwa Ibom State in general are from the rural areas. The fundamental problem associated with agricultural production in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, is oil spillage. The contamination of soils by carbon monoxides led to the destruction of vegetation, macro substances and soil degradation. Most farmers and even those who intend to go into agricultural enterprise in the oil producing areas of Akwa Ibom State in general and Ibeno Local Government Area in particular are discouraged from doing so, because of serious damage on agricultural lands occasioned by oil exploration in the study area. This study aimed at determining the perceived causes of oil spillage on agricultural lands in Ibeno. The study identified the socio-economic characteristics of respondents in the study area, showed the socio-economic w ellbeing of respondents and the perceived causes of oil spillage on agricultural lands in Ibeno Local Government Area. Purposive sampling technique was used to select four (4) agricultural cells for the study. Forty respondents were selected from each of the localities making a total of 120 respondents for the study. Data were collected using questionnaires. This was done using frequency, mean scores and ranks. The results showed that majority of the respondents were aged between 26 and 35 years, 71% were males, 41% had secondary level of education. About 58% of the respondents were engaged in fish farming activities. Equipment failure (x=4.56), pipeline corrosion (x=4.05) and pipeline sabotage (x=3.01) ranked 1st and 2nd respectively were perceived as the major causes of oil spillage on agricultural lands in the study area. Also, relationship between host communities and oil companies (x=4.30), economic activities in the communities (x=4.19) and unrest in the communities (x=3.84) ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd were the major influence of oil spillage on the socioeconomic wellbeing of the respondents. The study concludes that oil spills are caused by pipeline corrosion, equipment failure and sabotage. On the other hand, the study recommends use of modern pipes made to withstand stress and strains to avoid oil spillage in the study area.