Health effects of gas flaring in okpai and benekuku oil producing communities in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract EN

The oil and gas sector is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy; unfortunately, Nigeria ranks 2nd in the incidence of gas flaring in Africa with worsened health outcomes especially in Okpai and Benekuku communities where constant gas flaring has not attracted empirical inquiries.

The objective of the study is to examine the health effects of gas flaring on health outcome, and controlled for knowledge and coping strategies using Structural Equation Modeling.

The result revealssignificant adverse health effect of gas flaring, and evidence of environmental Kuznets hypothesis.

The negative mediating role of foreign capital inflows provided evidence that Okpai and Benekuku are pollution havens.

Also, knowledge and coping strategies were found to improve health outcomes.

The study concludes that the negative health effect of gas flaring is reduced by improved knowledge and coping strategies among the people.

The study recommends that the government should implement anti-gas flaring policies; oil companies establish free healthcare services and community leaders get their members informed on the need to device coping strategies, as the strategic actions that would improve human health in gas flaring communities.