While oil spills are more commonly known for their environmental damage, a study conducted by Professor Roland Hodler and Anna Bruederle reveal linkages between oil related environmental pollution to neonatal mortality in the Niger Delta. Their findings highlight that oil spills within ten kilometers of a mother’s residence pre-conception double the neonatal mortality rates and impaired the health of her surviving children. While the Nigerian government remains silent on this matter, activists like Debbie Ariyo of the charity Africans Unite Against Child Abuse, continue to speak up on tragedies resulting from oils spills. Photo credit: George Osodi/AP
