Paper short abstract:

This study examines the impact of oil exploration on sexual and reproductive health in Nigeria's Niger Delta. it unveils gendered power relations shaping planetary health, arguing for a feminist care-centered approach to address health challenges rooted in the ecology of extraction.

Paper long abstract:

While historical scholarship extensively documents the ecological consequences of industrial activities, a notable gap exists in understanding the effects on sexual and reproductive health. Scientific evidence links oil exploration to emissions of harmful substances such as carbon-dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and benzene, which pose serious threats to reproductive health, leading to birth defects, fertility issues, miscarriages, and high infant mortality rates. This study addresses the historical impact of industrial activities, specifically oil exploration, on sexual, reproductive, and infant health in Nigeria, focusing on the Oil-rich Niger Delta region.

This paper explores the transformative potential of feminist histories of care in addressing the planetary ill health challenges caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta region. Drawing from historical analysis and utilizing archival, newspaper sources, medical reports, and ethnographic accounts, the study investigates the period from 1957, which marks the onset of oil exploration in Oloibri, to the establishment of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency in Nigeria.

The paper unveils the gendered power relations that shape the environment, and planetary health using the sexual and maternal health status of women in the Niger Delta. It emphasizes the changes and continuities in the colonial and post-colonial histories of extractions. By examining the political-economic and social-cultural engagements between Niger-Deltan Women, state actors, and non-state actors. The study argues that planetary and reproductive health challenges in the region are rooted in the ecology of extraction, shedding light on the need for a Feminist care-centered approach in addressing the planetary ill health caused by industrial activities.