ABSTRACT
Oil and gas production has enormous financial benefits but associated with these benefits are major hazards or consequences. One such hazard is environmental pollution. Active oil and gas exploration in Nigeria derived its roots from early 1908; however, active production of crude oil only started in 1956 and early production activities were low; therefore they were not associated with major oil spills. Over the years exploration and production activities in the Niger Delta have escalated and consequently oil spillage in the region has become a common occurrence. The primary purpose of this chapter therefore is to examine critically the pollution incidents and evaluate their impact on the environment with special attention being focused on the Niger Delta, which is actively involved in oil production. In order to put the issue in the right perspective, an attempt will be made to discuss pollution episodes in other producing regions of the world. The aim of an historical approach will be to establish if a particular pattern exists that links oil pollution incidents in various oil producing regions of the world.
