It is no doubt that Nigeria is enormously blessed with good people, heritage, cultures and traditions and as well, natural resources. Several of these resources have served several and good purposes in the country with its sale in both Nigeria and at the international market. One of its abundances is the oil it produces in mass daily since its uncovering in 1956 in Oloibiri of Bayelsa State. Right from that time, this newly found goose has been laying eggs and more of it. Today, there are a good number of oil producing states in Nigeria.
Nigeria as a nation has been able to successfully produce as much as about 2.53 million barrels of oil per day. As a matter of fact, Nigeria, according to the U.S Energy Information Administration database in 2016 is the 12th oil producing country in the world. The country has not only given itself a good name in the oil market but in terms of population, size and even once upon a time, ‘agriculture’
Prior to the discovery of oil, Nigeria’s economy was majorly dependent on agriculture especially the cocoa of the West, the groundnut of the North and the palm produce of the East. This produce was once upon a time the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and some of the best in the world. Agriculture, though not the major source of income, it is the major occupation in Nigeria which has and is still playing a vital role in the economy. This, however, dipped its toes in sinking sand as a result of the rise of oil production in the country.
Aside it place of discovery, there are several other States that produce oil in Nigeria, most of which are in the Southern and Coastal parts of the country. They include:
- Akwa Ibom
- Rivers
- Bayelsa
- Delta
- Cross River
- Lagos
- Ondo
- Imo
- Abia
- Anambra
Oil Producing States In Nigeria
Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom, located in the coastal part of Nigeria is presently the largest oil producing state in Nigeria, producing about 504,000 barrels of oil per day constituting 20-30% of the country’s total production. Asides from oil production, Akwa Ibom is known for the production of other natural resources such as gold, limestone, and iron, among others as well as having the largest palm forest in Nigeria.
Rivers
Rivers, one of the most populous states in Nigeria is as well one of the largest oil producing states in Nigeria producing about 344,000 barrels of oil per day. Port Harcourt, the city’s capital is the biggest producing plate in the state which is why it is fondly called “the oil city”. Intriguingly, agriculture is the main occupation in the State but oil production is the most famous. Additionally, Rivers is also known for its tourist sites, one of which is Port-Harcourt Tourist Beach.
Bayelsa
Sheared from Rivers and Delta in 1996, Bayelsa is a small populated State of about 1.9million people which is ranked the 2nd least populated State. It has eight Local Governments and was oil was first discovered in Nigeria in this State. Major businesses there include farming, fishing, etc, but very progressive in oil production.
Delta
Being the second largest oil producing State in Nigeria, it is located in the Southern part of Nigeria. Asides from its oil production vogue, it is also known to be one of the richest States in Nigeria with vast popularity and has for itself the highest number of tertiary institutions in the country. Mentioning the abundance of this State will never be complete without mentioning the natural resources it has at its bosom. These resources are decorative rocks, industrial clay, tar sand among others.
Cross River
Cross River is the 5th largest oil producing state in state. Also, it is significantly populated. The state is known for its carnival which is the one of the biggest carnivals in Africa. The state is blessed with mineral resources including limestone, titanium tin ore, and many more. It is most populate for its tourist and recreational centers.
Lagos
Popularly known as ‘land of no man’ Lagos is one of the smallest cities in Nigeria, but well known to be one of the most economically buoyant States in the country and even in Africa. The hustling and bustling of this State is one thing that has made it to stand out among other Nigerian States. In as much as it not popularly known as an oil producing State, Lagos has shown signicance in adding to the economy of Nigeria through the production of oil.
Lagos produces about 40,000 barrels of oil per day and this has won the State the 6th spot in the list of oil producing States in the country. It is the fastest growing city in Africa and is also recognized as the city with tallest buildings in Africa. Lagos is undoubtedly the center for entertainment in Nigeria.
Ondo
Among the enormous endowment of Ondo State in terms of resources is oil production. Ondo contributes about 3.7% of oil production in Nigeria. The major occupation in that part of the country is agriculture (they produce coffee, rubber, cassava, yam, oil palm, etc.) which contributes about 60-70% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
Imo
The state was created in 1976. The major city is Owerri. It is one of the oil producing states In Nigeria with about 160 Oil wells. As many other states, agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Imo is very favored with other natural resources such as natural gas, calcium carbonate, Zinc, mahogany; find sand, bamboo, rubber and lots more.
Abia
Abia has a population of approximately 3 million people who are mainly Igbos. The state produces about 36,000 barrels of oil per day. The major commercial town is Aba. There are about 100 oil wells in Abia. Agriculture is also blooming there including yam and cassava farming majorly. . Added to those are beautiful recreational centers such as Blue River Tourist Village.
Anambra
Located in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, Anambra is the 8th most populated State in the country. From its creation in 1991, Anambra has become one of the promising and developing States in Nigeria, through its resources which are; iron ore, marble, natural gas and much more. This State is not only known for its many mineral resources, but also human resources and entrepreneurship. It is also said to be one of the oil producing States in the country, even though it does not produce as much as the other States, it sure gives a helping hand to the Nation’s economy.
See Also: Solid Minerals in Nigeria: List and their Locations – WiredBugs
Despite the vital role played by oil in Nigeria, it has rendered most of this oil producing States handicapped in many areas of life. Most of the States suffer environmental pollution which has its disadvantages on people’s health. As a result of the mass production in some of the mentioned States, farming activities has been drastically reduced, especially some areas of the Niger-Delta regions that fishing has been there major occupation. Water has been contaminated and soil mixed has led many of the communities that produce oil to depend on other communities for food.
