Bonga oil Spill: Rights Activist Wants Shell To Compensate Fishermen

A human rights activist, Mrs Elizabeth Egbe, has appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to compensate fishermen affected by the Bonga oil spill.
Egbe, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday said that the company, being an international oil exploration giant, should comply with international best practice and do the right thing.
The Tide recalls that the oil spill which occurred on Dec. 20, 2011, spilling 35,000 barrels of crude oil, affected Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Rivers states.
According to her, the fishermen are demanding that SPDC pays them N433 billon as compensation for depriving them of their livelihood.
Egbe, who is also the Chairman, Bayelsa State Chapter of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN), said the company should also proceed to properly clean up the waters and the affected communities.
“Let SPDC pay us what is due so that justice will prevail and when justice prevails, everybody will be happy and the fish we bring on the table will be good and healthy.
“So, we are calling the oil company to do the right thing to avoid problem.’’
The chairman accused Shell and other oil companies of exhibiting a culture of impunity in the Niger Delta, claiming that they had no regard for the lives of the people of the area or the environment.
Egbe expressed fears that the whole existence of fishermen in the region might go into extinction, if the situation was not addressed.