Life on the Niger Delta

Life on the Niger Delta

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Billions of dollars worth of oil flow out of the Niger Delta, but life for the majority of its inhabitants remains unchanged by this wealth.

Most people in the oil-rich region live in modest iron-roofed shacks, and rely on farming or fishing for their living. Their only interaction with the oil industry is when they step over pipelines in the swamps or when a spill blights the landscape.

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Slideshow

The Swali market sits alongside the River Nun.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

The Swali market sits alongside the River Nun.

People dig in the sand on the river bank.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

People dig in the sand on the river bank.

Speedboats are lined up along a jetty.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Speedboats are lined up along a jetty.

Residents crowd onto boats.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Residents crowd onto boats.

In the coastal town of Twon Bass, a vendor pushes a cart filled with clothes.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

In the coastal town of Twon Bass, a vendor pushes a cart filled with clothes.

Gas pipelines run through the Okrika community, where a local uses them as a walkway.
. PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Gas pipelines run through the Okrika community, where a local uses them as a walkway.

The Eleme community uses the pipes to dry clothes.
. PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

The Eleme community uses the pipes to dry clothes.

In a village on the banks of the River Nun, people wash and bathe.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

In a village on the banks of the River Nun, people wash and bathe.

A girl coated in oil sits in a canoe as she sorts out crabs.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A girl coated in oil sits in a canoe as she sorts out crabs.

A run-down church stands in Kainyabiri village on the banks of the river.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A run-down church stands in Kainyabiri village on the banks of the river.

A boy pours water out of a canoe carrying members of a Christian sect, who sing as they celebrate a religious service.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A boy pours water out of a canoe carrying members of a Christian sect, who sing as they celebrate a religious service.

A guide splashes through an oil slick on a speedboat.
. PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A guide splashes through an oil slick on a speedboat.

People walk through an abattoir in the Swali district market.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

People walk through an abattoir in the Swali district market.

Butchers chop up meat.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Butchers chop up meat.

A man holds a bloodied cow head in his arms.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A man holds a bloodied cow head in his arms.

A man lifts a dead goat over his shoulder as smoke rises through the air.
. YENAGOA, Nigeria. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A man lifts a dead goat over his shoulder as smoke rises through the air.