Yet even today the people of Ogoniland don't enjoy piped water or electricity, Wiwa said, while some groundwater sources have become polluted and unusable. Besides a shortage of schools, unemployment is rife among the 500,000-strong community as Shell recruits much of its labour force from other parts of Nigeria, he said. Within the 12 x 14 square miles that make up Ogoniland, there are over 100 oil wells, two refineries, one fertilizer complex and one petrochemical company. Wiwa, himself a medical doctor, points to the increased incidence of certain diseases like bronchial asthma in the region. Other upper respiratory diseases, gastro-enteritis and cancer among the people in the area as a result of the oil industry are very high.
Children are also hard of hearing because of the noise from the flaring of gas.
He points out that similar problems can be found all over the Niger Delta. Wiwa laments the good relations that Shell is able to have in a number of African countries regardless of its reputation in Ogoniland. This article appeared in African Agenda and was produced by Third World Network Features .