Browsing by Author "Sam, Kabari"

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    Challenges and opportunities for low-carbon remediation in the Niger Delta: towards sustainable environmental management
    (Elsevier, 2023-07-27) Azuazu, Ikeabiama Ndubuisi; Sam, Kabari; Campo, Pablo; Coulon, Frederic
    There is increasing demand for low-carbon remediation strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development in the management of environmental contamination. This trend is within the broader context of sustainable remediation strategies that balance environmental, economic, and social aspects. This article critically reviewed existing literature to evaluate and compare various low-carbon remediation methods, such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, in situ chemical oxidation, soil vapour extraction, and electrokinetic remediation, to identify suitable techniques for the remediation of oil-contaminated sites in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. We analysed the UK sustainable remediation frameworks (SuRF-UK) to glean lessons for the Nigerian context. Our findings indicate that bioremediation and phytoremediation are particularly promising low-carbon remediation technologies for the Niger Delta region due to their cost-effectiveness and adaptability to local conditions. We proposed a framework that deeply considers opportunities for achieving multiple goals including effective remediation and limited greenhouse gas emissions while returning net social and economic benefit to local communities. The proposed framework will help decision makers to implement effective remediation technologies that meet sustainability indices, integrates emissions considerations return net environmental benefit to local communities. There is a need for policymakers to establish and enforce policies and regulations that support sustainable remediation practises, build the capacity of stakeholders, invest in research and development, and promote collaboration among stakeholders to create a regulatory environment that supports sustainable remediation practises and promotes environmental sustainability in the region. This study provides insights for achieving low-carbon remediation in regions addressing land contamination by different contaminants and facilitates the adoption of remediation technologies that consider contextual socio-economic and environmental indices for sustainable development.
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    Management of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites in Nigeria: Current challenges and future direction
    (Elsevier, 2017-04-05) Sam, Kabari; Coulon, Frederic; Prpich, George
    Sites affected by petroleum hydrocarbons from oil exploitation activities have been identified as a major environmental and socio-economic problem in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The current Nigerian regulatory instruments to manage these contaminated sites are fragmented and the roles and responsibilities of government agencies, such as the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), are not well defined. This lack of coordination has led to ineffective land contamination policy and poor enforcement more generally. Appropriate, risk-based policy instruments are needed to improve regulatory capacity, and to enhance the regulator's ability to manage new and existing petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated sites. Lessons can be learned from countries like the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States America (USA) that have experience with the management and clean up of historically contaminated land. In this paper, we review the status of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites management in Nigeria and identify the gaps in existing policy and regulation. We review the contaminated land policies and regulation from the UK and the USA, and identify lessons that could be transferred to the Nigerian system. Finally, we provide a series of recommendations (e.g. source – pathway-receptor approach, soil screening criteria, clean-up funding, liability) that could enhance contaminated land legislation in Nigeria.
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    A multi-attribute methodology for the prioritisation of oil contaminated sites in the Niger Delta
    (Elsevier, 2016-12-02) Sam, Kabari; Coulon, Frederic; Prpich, George
    The Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta contains a vast number of sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons that originated from Nigeria's active oil sector. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported on this widespread contamination in 2011, however, wide-scale action to clean-up these sites has yet to be initiated. A challenge for decision makers responsible for the clean-up of these sites has been the prioritisation of sites to enable appropriate allocation of scarce resources. In this study, a risk-based multi-criteria decision analysis framework was used to prioritise high-risk sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons in the Ogoniland region of Nigeria. The prioritisation method used a set of risk-based attributes that took into account chemical and ecological impacts, as well as socio-economic impacts, providing a holistic assessment of the risk. Data for the analysis was taken from the UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, where over 110 communities were assessed for oil-contamination. Results from our prioritisation show that the highest-ranking sites were not necessarily the sites with the highest observed level of hydrocarbon contamination. This differentiation was due to our use of proximity as a surrogate measure for likelihood of exposure. Composite measures of risk provide a more robust assessment, and can enrich discussions about risk management and the allocation of resources for the clean-up of affected sites.
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    Stakeholder engagement and the sustainable environmental management of oil-contaminated sites in Nigeria
    (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018-08-14) Prpich, George; Sam, Kabari; Coulon, Frederic
    African nations are experiencing rapid economic growth and development, particularly within the energy sector; however, this growth has come at a cost to the environment and society. Nowhere have these impacts been felt more precisely than in the oil and gas producing regions of Nigeria where years of neglect and mismanagement have resulted in vast areas of hydrocarbon contaminated lands. In this chapter, we present a case study of the Niger Delta. We show how constructive stakeholder engagement can be used to integrate the values and perspectives of affected communities and how this information can be used to inform environmental regulation and sustainable development. Lessons learned are relevant to other countries seeking to develop their energy resources in a sustainable manner.
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    Use of stakeholder engagement to support policy transfer: A case of contaminated land management in Nigeria
    (Elsevier, 2017-06-23) Sam, Kabari; Coulon, Frederic; Prpich, George
    Transfer of environmental policy from one country to another without consideration for the contextual differences (e.g. socio-cultural, economic) between the countries can be a barrier that prevents adoption, or limits the implementation and effectiveness of that policy. In this study, we investigate the socio-cultural preferences of stakeholders in the Niger Delta to understand how different stakeholder groups value socio-cultural differences. We used a modified, mixed-methods stakeholder engagement approach to capture this information, combining stakeholder workshops and interviews. Community groups, regulators, experts in contaminated land management, and oil exploration operators participated in this study, and our results revealed a general consensus concerning the ranked priority of issues. Top issues included water quality, soil quality for agriculture, food production, and human health and wellbeing. Despite this consensus, differences in how stakeholder groups arrived at their rankings might pose a challenge for policy makers. Other potential barriers to effective policy transfer identified in this study include political and cultural differences, regulatory structure, and corruption. In sum, this study provides insights about the socio-cultural preferences of stakeholders from the Niger Delta; information that could be used by policy makers to contextualise contaminated land management policy transfer.
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    Working towards an integrated land contamination management framework for Nigeria
    (Elsevier, 2016-07-18) Sam, Kabari; Coulon, Frederic; Prpich, George
    Over the past five decades, Nigeria has developed a number of contaminated land legislations to address the damage caused primarily by oil and gas exploitation activities. Within these legislations exists elements of risk assessment and risk-based corrective action. Despite this progress, we argue that contaminated land management approaches in Nigeria need further development to be able to integrate new scientific information, and to address environmental, economic, and social values. By comparison, advanced contaminated land regimes in the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America (USA) apply a number of integrative approaches (e.g. sustainability appraisal, liability regime, funding mechanisms, technology demonstration) that enable them to meet the environmental, economic, and social needs of their populations. In comparison, Nigerian governance lacks many of these mechanisms and management of contaminated land is ad hoc. In this paper we propose an integrated risk assessment framework for Nigeria that incorporates the principles of sustainability and stakeholder engagement into the decision-making processes for contaminated land risk assessment and risk management. The integrated approach relies on transparency to promote acceptance and build trust in institutions, and uses stakeholder engagement to address data deficiencies. We conclude this paper with a roadmap for how Nigeria might implement such an integrative approach into their existing contaminated land regulatory system, as well as identify a series of policy priorities that should be addressed.