The pollution caused by oil extraction in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is one of the world's most alarming examples of the curse of natural resources, says Amnesty International.

The human rights lobby group says environmental pollution in Nigeria's southern oil region, the Niger Delta, has deprived millions of people of their basic rights to safe food, clean water and good health.

In a damning report titled "Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta", released Tuesday in Abuja, Amnesty paints a dismal picture of the situation in the oil-producing region. It describes a "human rights tragedy" which has been fuelling anger and conflict.

Oil spills, waste dumping and gas flaring are endemic in the region, where at least 60 percent of the population relies on the natural environment for their livelihood. The Delta’s farmland, one of the most important wetlands on earth, is badly affected.

"People living in the Niger Delta have to drink, cook with, and wash in polluted water; they eat fish contaminated with oil and other toxins -- if they are lucky enough to still be able to find fish," the report says.

Accountability

Amnesty blames both the government and multi-national oil giants for the rights abuses in the Niger Delta.

“The Nigerian crisis is an example "of the lack of accountability of a government to its people, and of multinational companies' almost total lack of accountability when it comes to the impact of their operations on human rights".

Royal-Dutch Shell, the largest operator in Nigeria, blames much of the oil spillage on sabotage, dismissing Amnesty's report for not constructively helping to improve the situation.

Amnesty "forgets that about 85 percent of the pollution from our operations comes from attacks and sabotage", said Shell spokesman Olav Ljosne, also pointing out that 133 Shell workers had been kidnapped in the delta since 2006.

He added the report "does not address the fundamental issues -- poverty, crime, corruption and militancy."

Conflict

Nigeria, the world's eighth largest exporter of crude, relies on oil for more than 90 percent of its export revenue. But the destruction of livelihoods, the culture of impunity and the failure of the government to invest in development in the area, have fed frustration - often leading to violent conflict.

Regional militants and bandit gangs that rove the creeks of the Niger Delta have brought current crude production down to 1.8 million barrels a day compared with 2.6 million at the start of 2006.

The most active of the militant groups has been the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), responsible for many of the oil installation attacks over the past three years.

In a bid to end the delta conflict, President Umaru Yar'Adua last week offered unconditional amnesty to the militants.

But Amnesty slammed the pardon offer saying Abuja is treating symptoms and not the root causes.