Socioeconomic Effects of Oil and Gas Exploration on Livelihoods, Poverty, and Unemployment in Rivers and Bayelsa States, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine how oil and gas exploration impacted poverty, unemployment, and means of existence in Nigeria's Rivers and Bayelsa States. The study was prompted by worries about the effects of oil-related environmental degradation on the economic prosperity of oil-producing towns and the customary livelihood activities practiced there. Combining qualitative interviews with quantitative survey data, a convergent parallel mixed- methods research design was used. Stratified random sampling was used to choose 400 questionnaire participants out of 228,118 stakeholders in oil-producing regions that made up the target audience. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 purposefully selected stakeholders. Descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and Pearson Product- Moment Correlation were used to analyze the quantitative data, and the hypotheses were evaluated at the 0. 05 level of significance. According to the results, 94. 3% of participants said that oil and gas exploration had decreased farming operations, and 89. 3% claimed that oil contamination had reduced the availability of fish. Furthermore, 96. 0% concurred that community members had lost their traditional livelihood sources, and 93. 3% claimed negative consequences on trading and other income-generating activities. In terms of poverty and unemployment, 92. 5 percent of those surveyed linked a rise in community poverty to regular oil spills, 94. 5 percent stated that gas flaring made it difficult to generate a consistent income, 95. 3 percent attributed youth unemployment to oil and gas exploration, and 96. 0 percent stated that oil pollution caused financial hardship for families. A substantial negative relationship between oil and gas exploration operations and livelihood results was discovered using Pearson correlation analysis (r = -0. 752, p < 0. 001). Additionally, a statistically significant positive relationship was discovered between oil spills and gas flaring, as well as between poverty and unemployment (r = 0. 697, p < 0. 001). As a result, both null hypotheses were disproven. The study finds that the deteriorating socioeconomic situations and livelihood conditions in the study regions are significantly correlated with the environmental issues caused by oil and gas exploration. It calls for increased environmental control, effective remediation of polluted ecosystems, and sustainable livelihood restoration and job programs for residents who have been impacted.

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