Ecological Armageddon: Helon Habila's Oil on Water as a Legendary Voice

Abstract: In the modern period, capitalistic upheavals on Earth and the ensuing climate shifts seem to be major worldwide concerns brought on by unbridled materialistic pursuits. Oil on Water by Helon Habila tells the story of the ongoing suffering of Nigeria's Dehumanized Indigenous people. Nigeria was the world's tenth largest oil exporter. The abundant oil reserves resulted in widespread exploitation. The novel Oil on Water by the Nigerian writer Helon Habila deals with environmental pollution in the oil-rich Nigerian Delta. Corporate greed and hegemonic oppression have been the driving force behind environmental degradation and human exploitation. The lust for oil and high profit provoked the capitalist to go and occupy the most sought-after African countries, to show their supremacy over land, and to disregard environmental ethics. Hence, it becomes apt to mention Robert D. Bullard who said the following words to characterize the need for EJ: "Risk burdens are localized yet the benefits are generalized across all segments of society". This paper aims to prove the above said point with reference to Oil on Water which is set in the environmentally devastated Nigerian Delta.