International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume IV, Issue IV, April 2020|ISSN 2454-6186 www.rsisinternational.org Page 16 The Artisanal Refining and Socioeconomic Development in Rivers State, Nigeria, 2007-2017 OGELE, Eziho Promise 1 , Egobueze, Anthony 2 1,2 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Rivers State University, Nkpolu Oroworukwu, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Abstract: - Artisanal refining of petroleum products in Rivers State has become a source of revenue for young people in the oil- bearing communities. This study attempts to interrogate the socioeconomic implication of artisanal refining in the Rivers State. Applying the Relative Deprivation Theory, the study explored what prompted the emergence of artisanal refining and its socioeconomic implication on development in Rivers State. To achieve its objectives, the study adopted triangulation method as sources of data collection. Primary data obtained through questionnaire and interviews, was analysed through descriptive statistical and quantitative methods. While the content analysis was used in the analysis of the secondary data. The study unravelled that the flames which emanate from the process of artisanal refining of crude oil increase global warning because the process of refining is relatively unprofessional and lacked international standard of crude oil refining, which often leads to hazards and pollution. Also, the study discovered that artisanal refining increased the number of school dropouts, cult rivalry, arms proliferation, among others in the State and recommends that the creation of awareness on the consequences of artisanal refining on the ecosystem, among others would engender meaningful development in the State. Key Words: artisanal, development, refining, socioeconomic, Rivers State. I. INTRODUCTION rude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in 1956 and 1958 respectively in Olibiri and Umuechem. Before the discovery, agriculture was the major vocations of the residents of Rivers State. The discovery of crude oil in 1956 has relatively created poverty in Rivers State in particular and the Niger Delta at large due to the degree of environmental degradation. Several legislations, especially, the Petroleum Act of 1969 alienate the residents of oil bearing communities from the control of the oil resources in their locality. This law vests the control of mineral resources on the Federal Government and estranges the right of oil bearing communities in the petrol-dollar business. Given the above, oil exploration and exploitation in Rivers State are carried out in a manner that falls below the international standard for environmental protection because of lack of effective supervision by regulators and the obnoxious laws that alienate the rights of oil bearing communities in the supervision of the activities that devastate their environment. The ecosystem is polluted and destroyed to the extent that the inhabitant's means of livelihood are threatened. Sadly, the oil- bearing communities are neglected by the government and the multinational firms, hence, they become vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation. Egobueze and Iyama (n.d, p.81) opined that “crude oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta region impacts negatively on the environment of communities where it is explored and causes conflict between the Niger Delta people and the oil companies on one hand and the Government on the other hand.” Considering the degree of environmental devastation caused by oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta region, Saro –Wiwa (1992, pp. 42-48) described the situation as: An ecological war in which no blood is (apparent) spilled, no bones are broken, no one else (assumedly) maimed, so few are alarmed, but men, women and children die, flora, fauna and fish perish, air, soil and water are poisoned: and finally, the land and its inhabitants die. Similarly, Hutchful (1985, pp. 117 & 115) noted that: It is specifically the peasantry in the oil states which, while deprived of access to the benefits generated by oil surplus, has borne the negative impact of the industry. Oil industry operations have resulted [in] the conditions of deepening underdevelopment for this peasantry. There is an almost total absence of schools, good drinking water, electricity, medical care, and roads in the man of the peasant communities. Consequently, the neglect and relative deprivation of petrodollar benefits propelled the inhabitants to establish illegal refineries for the artisanal refining of crude oil in some of the communities in Rivers State. These individuals or groups of persons engage in siphoning crude oil from the oil pipes, refine it into other petroleum products such as diesel and kerosene for local markets to earn their living which is contrary to the Hydrocarbon Oil Refineries Act 1965, which states that “no Refinery shall be operated or constructed in Nigeria without a license granted by the minister.” Contributing to the foregoing, Obenade and Amangabara (2014, p.26) noted that: On average, the typical artisanal refinery produces about forty to sixty drums of diesel a day. Sites vary in size and reflect C