Re: Well may not be capped for months, June 1

While I cannot find the words to voice my displeasure with all companies and government agencies involved in this Gulf oil spill, I can remind us all that much worse is and has been going on.

For those who aren’t already aware the Niger delta in Nigeria accounts for 40 per cent of American oil imports (606 oilfields). A 2006 report compiled by the Nigerian government in conjunction with the World Wildlife Federation in Britain and the World Conservation Union calculated that up to 1.5 million tons of oil had been spilled in the delta over the last 50 years.

According to Nigeria, more than 7,000 spills have occurred in the delta between 1970 and 2000. The oil companies place the majority of blame on vandalism or militant sabotage. The people of Nigeria, however, assert that a network of old rusting pipes and aging infrastructure are the main reason for the occurrence of spills.

Regardless of who is to blame the fact remains that for 50 years toxic oil has been spilling into the waterways of the Niger delta, poisoning the water and vegetation in an already troubled land and making the Gulf oil spill pale in comparison.

Brett Ryan Book, Hamilton