Reacting to a study that found babies in the Niger Delta were twice as likely to die in the first month of life if their mother lived near an oil spill before falling pregnant, Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues, said:
“This shocking study raises very serious questions about why international oil companies have not done more to monitor the impact of their activities on the health of people living in the Niger Delta.
“Nigeria’s government should establish a system of independent monitoring to alert communities to any health risks posed by the oil industry and hold companies to account for any damage their activities may cause.”