Running Header: OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG NIGERIA OFFSHORE WORKERS

Occupational Stress among Nigeria Offshore Workers

[Name of the Institute]

Occupational Stress among Nigeria Offshore Workers

Introduction

Psychological stress is a serious issue which is experienced by the majority of the workers in the offshore workers in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The Nigerian government is heavily dependent on the natural oil and gas resources that are richly present in the area. AS a result a large number of oil based companies have emerged in this region over the recent decades. The issue among the workers that are present in the majority of the companies is regarding the lack of facilities and the stressful working environments. There are several factors which influence the quality of the working environmental and the welfare of the workers of the relevant organizations. Due to the lucrative nature of the industry, the issues of the workers and the employees are often sidelined (Omeje, 2006, pp. 486). Various strong multinational organizations are densely populated in the resource rich area, and the rights of the regional minorities re often ignored. The extremely high levels of stress and psychological pressure experienced by the Nigerian workers can have several impacts in the short and long terms contexts. Firstly the quality of work for these employees would decrease as the levels of stress increase, and also they can develop medical issues as well.

The predominant reason why the quality of the working environment and the level of stress experienced by the offshore Nigerian workers in the Delta region of the country, is due to the lack of governance and the responsible outlook of the companies. The corporate sector operating with in the region is pronominally motivated by the profit based objectives, and they are not concerned regarding the negative repercussions experienced by the workers. In the western and other regions of the world, where there are companies operating their offshore facilities; there are generally more developed regulatory authorities. However the critical analysis of the Nigerian government and the regulatory authorities would suggest that they lack the influence and the basic infrastructure to adequately monitor the activities of the companies. For the organizations if there is not a pressure from the regulatory authorities the focus towards the rights of the workers, would be minimized (Yergin, 2006, pp. 77). Without the proactive role of the regulatory authorities working in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the companies would proceed to follow their profit driven strategies, in which the rights of the workers would not be adequately satisfied. There are several internal and external factors which have deteriorated the working environment for the offshore worker in the region, and the relevant authorities have to play a pivotal role to make a positive change in the current scenario.

Nigerian Background

The Nigerian culture is developed by the amalgamation of several cultural groups. The existence of diverse cultural forces within the country suggests that there could be conflict and social confrontation. This is the predominant reason why the Nigerian region has certain issues ...