TIME

GFX & CAPTIONS

DIALOGUE

00:00:00

[START OF PROGRAMME]

00:00:04

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

Pass me down the tools.

00:00:09

GFX CAPTION:

Farouk digs wells in northern Nigeria

00:00:14

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

The well is really deep, this is what we do.

00:00:18

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The deeper it goes, the hotter it gets.

00:00:25

00:00:28

00:00:31

GFX CAPTION:

It’s hotter down the hole that at ground level,

GFX CAPTION:

Air temperature at ground level

43°C [approx]

GFX CAPTION:

too hot for our equipment to measure.

00:00:36

00:00:38

00:00:42

GFX CAPTION:

Gas flare

150°C

[Celsius]

GFX CAPTION:

20ft from the wall

47°C

[Celsius]

GFX CAPTION:

In southern Nigeria, Joy has to work in the heat of an illegal gas flare.

00:00:46

JOY (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The reason I have short hair is because if I grow my hair long, it could burn my head if the flare shifts direction and explodes.

00:00:58

GFX CAPTION:

Nigeria’s climate is changing, making life even harder for Farouk and Joy.

00:01:05

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

We have never dug a well this deep and not found water.

00:01:29

TITLE GFX:

LIFE AT 50°C

Nigeria Burning

00:01:33

00:01:35

GFX MAP

NIGERIA

GFX CAPTION:

Google Earth

Maxar Technologies, Data SIO, NOAA

00:01:38

GFX MAP

Kilankwa

Central

Google Earth

Landsat / Copernicus

00:01:42

ZACHARY (OOV) [SUBTITLED]:

This is the best spot.

00:01:49

GFX CAPTION:

April 2021

00:01:54

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

We're the ones who are going to dig the well.

00:01:57

GFX CAPTION:

Haruna

Saliou

Zachary

Farouk

00:02:03

GFX CAPTION:

Farouk

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

I started digging wells as a boy, like this, and it’s been over 20 years now.

00:02:10

GFX CAPTION:

There’s less and less rain here.  Much of the area is turning into desert.

00:02:18

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The weather now changes every year.  For instance, March was very hot, the sun was high.

00:02:35

00:02:38

GFX CAPTION:

Saliou

SALIOU (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

Without water, there’s no point in repairing it.  That’s why we're leaving it to dig in another place.

00:02:51

GFX CAPTION:

Day 3 of well digging

00:02:55

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

Okay, I’m going down again. 

00:03:01

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The heat is directly proportional to the depths of the well.  It’s suffocating, you can’t stay down there.

00:03:20

00:03:25

00:03:30

00:03:37

GFX MAP:

Kilankwa

Abuja

Lagos

GFX CAPTION:

Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climate change.

GFX CAPTION:

Mainly caused by use elsewhere of fossil fuels like oil.

GFX CAPTION:

But Nigeria also has an oil producing region, with a particular emissions problem:

GFX CAPTION:

The Niger Delta

GFX MAP:

Niger Delta

Source: IPCC / Africa News

Google Earth

Landsat / Copernicus Data SIO, NOAA

00:03:44

GFX CAPTION:

Agbarha

Niger Delta, Southern Nigeria

00:03:49

GFX CAPTION:

When oil is extracted from the ground, natural gas is also released.

00:03:56

GFX CAPTION:

Oil workers burn the gas to get rid of it, creating a flare.

00:04:01

GFX CAPTION:

Flaring is a major source of greenhouse gases.  In Nigeria, it’s illegal.

00:04:07

MALE (VO):

This is how they flare the gas.  They inhabitants of this land are suffering with the abject poverty.

00:04:14

GFX:

YENAGOA

TVC NEWS

GAS FLARING

“SAVE IJAW NATION GROUP’ CONDEMNS CONTINUOUS PRACTICE

NEWS FOOTAGE (ARCHIVE):

We have demanded today that gas burning should stop.  Cause already it is illegal.

00:04:27

00:04:31

GFX CAPTION:

Two million Nigerians live within 2.5 miles of a gas flare,

Gas Flare locations

Source: DW News

GFX CAPTION:

Including Joy and her family.

00:04:40

JOY (IV):

This is my children.

00:04:45

JOY (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

This is the obituary for my hear mother who died.  We are about to bury her.  My mum’s family gave me the task of contributing 200,000 naira [$500: £350] towards the funeral.  This is forcing me to continue in the tapioca business, despite its dangers.

00:05:11

[SUBTITLES]

When I came to Agbarha, I had no work, no job.  I saw some women working this tapioca, then I asked them to learn me.

JOY (IV):

When I come in Agbarha, I have no work, no job.  I see some women working this tapioca.  Then I say, I asked them to learn me.

00:05:30

[SUBTITLES]

We now start to put them inside sacks and carry them to the flow station.

JOY (IV):

We now start to put them inside sack and carry them to the flow station.

00:05:37

00:05:42

00:05:43

00:05:47

00:05:51

00:05:53

00:05:55

00:05:57

[SUBTITLES]

This is the road.  We're on our way, we're almost there.

GFX CAPTION:

Goodluck

Joy’s son

[SUBTITLES]

This is me.

[SUBTITLES]

We are here.

[SUBTITLES]

So we are here now.

[SUBTITLES]

That is the fire.

[SUBTITLES]

Can’t get close now.

[SUBTITLES]

It’s too hot.

GOODLUCK (IV):

This is the road.  We are on our way, we're almost there.  This is me.  We are here.  So we are here now.  That is the fire.  Can’t get close now.  It’s too hot.

00:05:59

GFX CAPTION:

At the flow station, oil comes from the well-head and methane is burnt off.

00:06:05

00:06:08

GFX CAPTION:

Gas flare

150°C

[Celsius]

GFX CAPTION:

20ft from the wall

47°C

[Celsius]

00:06:11

GFX CAPTION:

This is where Joy dries the tapioca; away from the flare, drying takes days.

00:06:18

JOY (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

It’s bad for our health, but we say to hell with the consequences.  We need to support our families.

00:06:40

00:06:43

00:06:45

00:06:45

00:06:48

00:06:50

00:06:53

00:06:54

[SUBTITLES]

There’s a whole lot of oil industry in Nigeria.

[SUBTITLES]

All we get from it is our area being polluted

GFX CAPTION:

Goodluck

Joy’s son

[SUBTITLES]

And the hot fire.

[SUBTITLES]

Every day, the sun is changing.

[SUBTITLES]

The fire is getting worse.

[SUBTITLES]

The days are just going bad, bad, bad, bad.

[SUBTITLES]

It’s not fair.

GOODLUCK (IV):

A whole lot of oil industry in Nigeria.  All we get from it is our area being polluted and a hot fire.  Every day the sun is changing the fire is getting much…the things are just going bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.  It’s not fair.

00:07:03

GFX CAPTION:

Kilankwa

Northern Nigeria

Day 6 of well digging

00:07:07

00:07:18

GFX CAPTION:

Farouk

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The day we started, we got to 5ft.  The following day, it was 7ft.  The fourth day, still without finding water, 14ft.  the fifth day, 19ft.

00:07:49

ZACHARY:

Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…

00:07:55

GFX CAPTION:

Haruna

HARUNA (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

The well is narrow, so of course it gets hot.

00:07:59

00:08:04

GFX CAPTION:

Zachary

ZACHARY:

22, 24.  Get it 24 feet.

00:08:07

HARUNA (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

That will not stop us from digging.

00:08:22

GFX CAPTION:

This part of Nigeria used to be fertile, with forests and orchards.

00:08:27

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

When I was a boy, the weather was not this harsh.

00:08:37

GFX CAPTION:

The well diggers sell wood for extra income.

00:08:43

FAROUK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

I also cut trees.  Cutting this tree is stressful, but digging the well is even more stressful because when you're cutting down trees, you get a breeze.  It’s not ideal to cut down trees.  They support the ecosystem.  But there’s no other way of getting money, so we have to do this.

00:09:15

00:09:25

GFX MAP

Kilankwa

GFX CAPTION:

Extreme heat due to climate change makes droughts in the north worse;

GFX CAPTION:

While the south gets flooded

Niger Delta

Google Earth

Landsat / Copernicus Data SIO, NOAA

00:09:33

GFX CAPTION:

Agbarha

Niger Delta, Southern Nigeria

00:09:36

00:09:41

00:09:44

00:09:48

[SUBTITLES]

When I was a kid, the weather was not like this.

[SUBTITLES]

But now, the weather has changed.

[SUBTITLES]

Now, any time, rain will fall,

[SUBTITLES]

So I think that life is now getting to the End.

JOY (IV):

When I was a kid the rain is not like this, the weather is not like this.  But now the weather have changed.  Now any time rain will fall.  So I think that the life is now getting end.

00:09:53

GOODLUCK (OOV):

This my mom, is going to the flare now.  You can see the fire.

00:09:59

JOY [SUBTITLED]:

Most people aren’t well enough informed to be able to explain why the climate is changing rapidly.  But we're suspicious of the non-stop fares, which create conditions for heatwaves.

00:10:19

JOY (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

I need to work extra hard right now so I can afford a proper funeral for my mother.

00:10:28

00:10:31

00:10:34

00:10:36

[SUBTITLES]

The party’s going to be big because

[SUBTITLES]

My grandmum gave birth to a lot of children

[SUBTITLES]

So we're doing this extra work

[SUBTITLES]

To make sure they are all satisfied.

GOODLUCK:

The party’s gonna be big because my grandmum gave birth to a lot of children.  And so we're doing this extra work to make sure they are all satisfied.

00:10:42

00:10:44

00:10:48

[SUBTITLES]

Finally, we are done

[SUBTITLES]

All the days of hard work,

[SUBTITLES]

This is it.

GOODLUCK:

Finally we are done.  All the two days of hard work.  This is it.

00:11:00

JOY [SUBTITLED]:

After four days’ work, me and my five children, a profit of 2,000 naira ($5; £3.50).

00:11:20

GFX CAPTION:

Kilankwa

Central Nigeria

Day 7 of well digging

00:11:28

FAROUK [SUBTITLED]:

This point we've got to is scary.  We don’t know what to do.  We pray to get water down there and not evil beings.

00:11:46

00:11:51

[SUBTITLES]

Heaven is up and hell is down.

[SUBTITLES]

And we're afraid.

ZACHARY:

Heaven is up and hell is down.  And we're afraid.

00:11:56

GFX MAP

Kilankwa

Niger Delta

Google Earth

Landsat / Copernicus Data SIO, NOAA

00:12:12

JOY:

This is my family.

00:12:15

GFX CAPTION:

Joy managed to make her contribution to her mother’s funeral costs.

00:12:20

GFX CAPTION:

Although they need the money, Joy’s family want the gas flares stopped.

00:12:25

JOY (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

In my view, the government should lead efforts to end gas flaring in the oil industry and hopefully that will significantly reduce the heatwave and associated health hazards.

00:12:42

00:12:45

00:12:46

00:12:49

[SUBTITLES]

I would like to be among the people

[SUBTITLES]

That are going to do something

GFX CAPTION:

Goodluck

[SUBTITLES]

To this weather changing every day,

[SUBTITLES]

Because I got a future to live.

GOODLUCK (IV) [SUBTITLED]:

I would like to be among the people that are going to do something to this weather changing every day.  Cause I got a future to live.

00:12:52

GFX CAPTION:

Sixty-five per cent of Nigerian government’s revenue comes from oil

Source: EITI

00:12:56

GFX CAPTION:

Oil has enriched the Nigerian elite, but 98 million live in poverty.

Source: World Bank

00:13:06

GFX CAPTION:

The government has promised to phase out illegal flaring by 2030.

Source: World Bank

00:13:17

GFX CAPTION:

Kilankwa

Central Nigeria

Day 8 of well digging

00:13:20

00:13:22

00:13:26

00:13:29

00:13:31

[SUBTITLES]

Good sign to reach water.

[SUBTITLES]

Sign of water, you can see.

[SUBTITLES]

You see, instead of stone,

[SUBTITLES]

There, sand, see some sand.

[SUBTITLES]

Near water.

FAROUK:

Good sign to reach today water day.  Sign of water, here, you can see.  See, you can see.  You see we are already instead of stone…sand, see some sand.  Near water.

00:13:33

[SUBTITLES]

I can smell water.

FAROUK:

Yeah, I can smell water [LAUGHTER].

00:13:40

00:13:43

GFX CAPTION:

Day 9

[FAROUK AND CREW CHEERING]

00:13:45

MALE (OOV):

How deep is the well?

00:13:46

[SUBTITLES]

The depth is 27ft

ZACHARY:

The depth is 27 feet.

00:13:59

END CREDITS

Director / Camera

Gavin Searle

Producers (Nigeria)

Anthony Abbey

Fyneface Dumnamene

Composers

Cavalry Music

Graphics

Jasmine Bonshor

Production Co-ordinator

Gemma Townley

Junior Production Manager

Jamie Nicholl

Unit Manager

Maria Caramelo

Video Editors

Baya Cat

Guy Creasey

00:14:04

Producer / Edit Producer

Ceci Golding

Executive Editor

Tim Awford

Editor, Digital Documentaries

Mustafa Khalili

Editor, TV Documentaries

Christopher Mitchell

Executive Producer

Monica Garnsey

00:14:13

[END OF PROGRAMME]