The Socio-Economic and Public Health Implications of Artisanal Crude Oil Refining in South-South States of Nigeria

The federal, state, and local governments in Nigeria rely on oil revenues for about 90% of their annual export earnings. Despite the abundance of oil in Nigeria dating back to 1956, the country still struggles to meet the fuel needs of its citizens. Currently, the country’s refineries are not producing anything, leading to the emergence of artisanal refineries in oil-producing states and communities to fill the gap in petroleum products. This situation presents various socio-economic and public health challenges. The study was conducted to evaluate the socio-economic and public health effects of artisanal crude oil refining activities in South-South Nigeria. Questionnaires were used to gather data from the communities and locals involved in artisanal refining activities and the questionnaire was distributed and retrieved from April, 2023 to November, 2023. A total of 1200 questionnaire were administered on community dwellers across the three states of Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States in South-South Nigeria, however, 1140 of the questionnaires administered on community dwellers were returned. This implies that 95% of the copies of questionnaire administered were returned. The study results indicated that setting up an artisanal refinery typically takes one to two weeks, and the expenses for establishing one range from N201000 to N400000. Furthermore, the research highlighted that the economic benefits encompassed community development and sustenance of families, the study also reveals that there are several adverse environmental and health impact of artisanal refining of crude oil in the study area, study however recommends that there is need for a robust approach to crude oil refining locally.