A field soil survey and laboratory studies were carried out to examine the influence of crude oil and industrial wastes pollution on soil profile development and characteristics in Ikot Abasi, Niger Delta area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Nine soil profiles, three each, in oil affected site (OAS), industrial waste affected site (IWAS) and non-contaminated (control) site (NCS), respectively, were studied. Soil samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory for some physical and chemical properties. The result of soil classification following the USDA Soil Taxonomy and correlated with the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) showed that all the three pedons from the control (NCS) were highly weathered and matured soils (Ultisols). Of the three pedons from the OAS, two (66.7%) were matured while one (33.3%) was young soil (Inceptisol/Cambisol). Similarly, of the three pedons from the IWAS, one (33.3%) was matured (Ultisols/Acrisols) while two pedons (66.7%) were young soils (Inceptisols/Cambisols). This indicates that environmental pollution can retard soil formation and profile development resulting in relatively young soils. Furthermore, analysis of variance (ANOVA), showed that soils of OAS were significantly (P< 0.05) different from those of IWAS and NCS in 12(52.2%) and seven (30.4%), respectively, of the 23 soil properties considered. Also, soils of IWAS were significantly different from those of the NCS in six (26.1%) of the soil properties. The result further showed that oil pollution significantly increased soil total hydrocarbon (THC) and lead (Pb) contents as well as organic matter content (OM), available phosphorous (P) exchangeable potassium (K), micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) and lowered exchangeable acidity (EA). Industrial wastes also increased soil exchangeable calcium (Ca) and K and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) and lowered EA. Therefore, appropriate remediation and land management practices can ameliorate the harmful effects of these pollution activities while the essential nutrients and positive influences imparted to the soil during the pollution are harnessed to improve the land/soil qualities and characteristics.

The increasing number of malfunctioning automobiles withsubsequent increase in emission levels and waste handling is an environmental concern in Nigeria. The spills from lubricants, gasoline, diesel and by-products of used and spent engine oil constitute the major pollutants in auto mechanic villages in Nigeria. Its environmental pollution has beenpredominant through soil and groundwater contamination andalso poses a major anthropogenic threat. The studied heavy metals on contaminated soil showed that studies had focused on common metals of Cu, Cd, Pband Zn in the east and west regions, while trace metals were studied in the south and radioactive elements in the north. Statistical evaluation showed high occurrences of Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in the four geo-political zones of Nigeria. The detrimental effects of auto-mechanic village activities were on humans and also disrupted growth and flowering of arable plants. The remediation application showed that soil type and contaminant characteristics play a major role in determining the type of remediation procedure to be applied.Hence,Nigeria should provide standard repairs and services to automobiles in-line with emerging technology and best environmental practices.

From the discovery of the first commercially viable oil wells in Oloibiri, in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, in 1956 to the present day, the issue of oil production and its effect on the aquatic environment has been the source of constant friction between oil companies and their host communities. These oil-related activities have affected fishing activities in the host communities, the major economic preoccupation in these areas. As at 2016, daily production of crude oil stood at 1,999,855 barrels per day making Nigeria the largest oil producer in Africa, the seventh largest under OPEC and thirteenth largest in the world. The main sources of oil spill in the Niger Delta are: vandalization of the oil pipelines by the local inhabitants, ageing of the pipelines, oil blow outs from the flow stations, cleaning of oil tankers on the high sea, disposal of used oil into the drains by the road side mechanics, tanker accidents, ballast water discharge, etc. The harmful effects of oil spill on living aquatic resources cannot be overemphasized. Oil kills plants and animals in the estuarine zone. Oil settles on beaches and kills organisms that live there; it also settles on ocean floor and kills benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms such as crabs. Oil poisons algae, disrupts major food chains and decreases the yield of edible crustaceans. It also coats birds, impairing their flight or reducing the insulative property of their feathers, thus making the birds more vulnerable to cold. It affects the essential organs of aquatic mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Oil endangers fish hatcheries in coastal waters and contaminates the flesh of commercially valuable fish. Regulations should be put in place to maintain oil spill free exploration and exploitation. Recommendations have been given, however, to make the region to be habitable.

Land contamination with crude oil is one of the challenges of effective crop production in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. This condition is inherent thus creates the need for developing effective remedial methods of managing contaminated lands as well as improve crop production. This study was designed to assess the effect of Brewers Spent Grains (BSG) on microbial activities and growth of Capsicum annum L cultured in crude oil contaminated soil. The results have shown that depending on the level of contamination, crude affected both the physical and chemical attributes of soil. It increased the acidity from pH 5.67 to a range of 5.58-5.64 and the total organic carbon content from 0.05% to 0.14%-0.21 while the total nitrogen and available phosphorus levels of soil were remarkably reduced from 0.39% to 0.21%-0.28%, and from 0.036% to 0.028%-0.032% respectively. Amendment of contaminated soil with BSG had variable influence on the microbial properties of test soil. It increases the heterotrophic activity of bacteria in soil while retarding the activities of nitrogen fixing bacteria (Nitrosomonas sp and Nitrobacter sp). However at a stimulating amendment level of 150g of BSG in a 0.208% level of contamination, the activities of hydrocarbon degrading bacteria was enhanced from the hitherto low number of 3.6 log CFU/g found in test soil to 6.2 log CFU/g obtained on the 6th week of the remediation period. This resulted in 62.09% hydrocarbon degradation in soil at the end of the 8-week remediation course. BSG amendment of the oil contaminated had clear but variable influence on some agronomic traits of the cultured pepper. Growth was generally promoted by the amendment and the most significant (P<0.05) growth attributes affected were the plant height, number of branches, leaves, flowers and fruits as well as the leaf area. Pepper seedlings exposed to 0.624% of oil and remedied with 300g (1.5%) had the highest number of flowers but the flower did develop into fruits. However plant exposed to 0.416% of oil contamination and remedied with 0.75% of BSG produced flowers that formed fruits. Although the cultured pepper plants exhibited necrotic spots, this study has shown that plants grow in crude oil contaminated soil if alternative source of nutrients is provided. This tend to grow more in lightly contaminated soil and remediation using BSG has proven to enhance the activities of microorganisms and subsequent degradation of hydrocarbons in contaminated soil. It is highly recommended for use as soil conditioner to "unmask" nutrients in contaminated soils.

This study presents the impact of surface and ground water quality on the environment in Ebocha-Obrikom oil and gas producing area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study determine the quality of surface and ground water in the study area as compared with national and international standards for drinking water and assess the quality of borehole and well water in the study area, This study adopted both field and laboratory experimental analysis of physical and chemical parameters. The water samples were analysed for Physico-chemical parameters using standard procedures. Physico-chemical parameters analysed for were pH, Zinc. The results show that ground water contained high amounts of turbidity (21.5NTU, 23.00NTU and 19.0NTU in the borehole water and well water), iron (5.3mg/l in the ground water and 6.98mg/l in the borehole water), biological oxygen demand (3.80mg/l in the surface water) and pH of all water samples 1 were acidic in the study area. These results show that ground waters including borehole; well waters and surface water of the study area had acquired reasonable levels of pollution. Apart from these specific cases, other values were found to be lower or above and corresponded to the approved maximum permissible level (i.e. maximum permissible limits for drinking water set by NAFDAC and WHO). Pearson correlation coefficient also indicated that there was a significant correlation among the studied physico-chemical parameters in both surface and ground water. The ground waters therefore, were more impacted upon by chemical parameters than surface water. This study, recommends for the continuous monitoring of water quality in the oil producing areas to protect man and the environment. Also, there is need for bio-physico-chemical assessment extension to other new areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The current daily crude oil production in Nigeria stands at about 2.0 million barrels per day thus placing Nigeria as the 6th largest oil producing country in the world. Volumes of petroleum and its production wastes streams find their way into the inland waters and oceans. Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans including edible sea seaweeds and microalgae widely eaten as seafood, especially in Asia. "Seafood" is extended to fresh water organisms eaten by humans. Effects of petroleum Exploration and Production (E and P) activities on seafood are enormous and range from poor seafood health to extinction due to non-spawning and death as a result of pollution. Petroleum E and P activities and their influences on production and management of seafood in Nigeria is herein reviewed showing some field observations and research findings justifying the influences. The impacts of petroleum E and P activities on the production and management of seafood in Nigeria is partly due to non-integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) into petroleum E and P operations and partly due to non-enforcement of existing legal framework as a result of duplicity and overlap of functions of regulatory agencies and lack of political will power.

The samples collected from an oil spilled sites in Bodo West in Gokana Local Government of Rivers State in Nigeria were isolated to identify microorganisms associated with bioremediation. The population of about 311 different forming colonies were recorded in the study area; out of which 18 distinctive colonies were identified based on their morphological observation. From the selected isolates, 10 of them were assumed to be degraders because they form maximum clear zones on the mineral salt media. The results of the analysis show that notable number of microorganism of which seven bacteria and seven fungi were isolated and identified. The bacteria are Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus lactic, Streptococcus epidemidis, Streptococcus faecalis, Clostridium sprogenes, Aerococcus viridems, and Bacillus anthracis. The fungi are Articulosspara inflate, Dendospora erecta, Aspergillus niger, Liodioderium Species, Geotichrum albdum, Aspergillus funigatus and Sreptothric atrax. On the strength of the result, it is inferred that microorganisms are associated with bioremediation and can be used for environmental and petroleum cleanup exercise in an oil spilled site.

The Niger Delta is one of the largest wetlands in the world and produces crude oil, which accounts for about 85% of the total Nigerian government’s revenue. The states within the region are as follows: Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Cross River States. The two major rivers in Nigeria are the Niger River and the Benue River. The Niger River deposits all loadings from upper Niger at the deltaic zones. It meanders around130 km south of the apex into the Nun and Forcados Rivers. The formation of the Niger Delta can be attributed to a structural geological development, the interaction of the river discharges and its considerable sediment load towards coastal distributive forces, including the tidal currents in the outlets, ocean current and waves in the coastal area and the littoral drift. Perpetuation of these distributive forces (each with its own frequency) versus river discharges and sediment supply has led to building the Delta out into ocean. The Niger Delta is characterized by a network of rivers and creeks which drain the hinterland, transporting both water and sediments to the Atlantic Ocean. This process has created an extensive sedimentary region, roughly 30,000 km2 in area and populated by roughly 35 million inhabitants. The area is also rich in hydrocarbon resources, accounting for over 90% of Nigeria’s GDP. The difficulty of physical infrastructural development was foretold by the British colonial government (Willink Minorities Commission Report (1957-58), who also advised the setting up of a special developmental commission, culminating in the creation of the NDDC. The impact of groundwater contamination in Yenagoa was considered in the region. Yenagoa is located east of the confluence of the Nun River and the Ekole River. The Niger Delta Environmental Survey Report, which was corroborated by the author, asserted that the Niger River carries iron loadings from the deposits of the Itakpe Iron Ore and also through the processes of dispersion, advection, and inter-aquifer exchange, which move the pollutants to the groundwater aquifer. Ashim stated that most contaminants are detected sometime after entering the subsurface; weeks, months, or years may pass before the problem is noticed. Contaminants may travel a great distance and affect a large portion of an aquifer before pollution is recognized. Ashim further stated that there are so many complexities involved in groundwater quality management issues; therefore, there is a need for impact evaluation as development progresses, with adaptation of the protection strategies, policy and management taken into consideration. This may be applicable to the issues of groundwater quality management in the Niger Delta. From the above standpoint, it becomes imperative to appraise the groundwater storage, geology, hydrogeology and aquifer systems, some pollutant distribution profiles, groundwater quality, model development and application of the model in the Niger Delta region. This chapter highlights these concepts, and makes recommendations to appropriate regulatory and governing bodies for implementation, control and management of groundwater resource for the region.