Investigating the Past and Present Conditions of the Niger Delta Environment in Selected Poems of Tanure Ojaide’s The Tale of the Harmattan and In the House of Words

A vast number of Tanure Ojaide’s poetry ventilates the painful experience of the Niger Delta people. This paper investigates the past and present conditions of the Niger Delta environment in selected poems of Tanure Ojaide’s The Tale of the Harmattan and In the House of Words. The paper examines the socioeconomic condition of the people, effects of environmental degradation on man and the despoliation of the Niger Delta biosphere (the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the hydrosphere) as caused by multinational oil corporations which Ojaide represents in his poems. The research, therefore, hinges on ecocriticism for a proper analysis of the poems under examination. Findings reveal the abundant presence of life support system, the serene nature of the old order of Niger Delta, the height of oil spills, gas flares and soot, depletion of the ozone-layer, the destruction of the landscape (floras and faunas), as well as the aquatic compositions of Niger Delta ecosystem. It is the conclusion of this research that the multinational oil corporations should stop their oil exploratory activities in the region. The people should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their natural wealth, if the oil exploration must continue.