Clean-Up Ogoni Pollution, Group Urges SPDC

A non-governmental organisation under the aegis of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has urged Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to restore and remediate oil-polluted areas in Ogoniland caused by exploration and production activities before divesting its onshore assets.
The group gave the advice in a press briefing organized by Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, We the People, and People’s Advancement Centre in Port Harcourt.
The Executive Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mr Chima Williams, accused Shell of launching a major divestment plan of its Nigerian assets in May, 2021, following the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben van Beurden’s announcement.
He said that sequel to this; the company no longer viewed activities in the Niger Delta region as core to its ongoing business strategy.
Williams explained that the real reasons behind Shell’s decision to divest were because of the decaying facilities of the company, which have led to constant spillages and the realization that it was no longer business as usual as victims use legal means to fight them.
He urged SPDC to clean-up their mess, provide relief to their victims before divesting, and warned that the would-be investors would buy assets and liabilities of Shell, if the pollution was not cleaned-up in Ogoniland.
“As it is, because the baggage to be left behind is huge that our local investors may not be able to carry even while serving the caveat emptor (buyer beware) as he who buys assets also buys the liabilities.
“We call on would-be investors in the Shell divestment plans to be prepared to tackle first, the environmental problems left behind by Shell before beginning any form of operation,” he warned.
Similarly, the Executive Director, People’s Advancement Centre, Mr Celestine Akpobari, said that the proposed resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) through Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would be insensitive without the proper clean-up and compensation of Ogoni people by Shell.
Akpobari called on Federal Government to fully comply with the recommendations of the UNEP report on Ogoniland before resumption of oil extraction to alleviate the suffering of Ogoni people.
In his speech, the Executive Director, We the People, Mr Ken Henshaw, urged Federal Government to invest in clean energy, protection of the environment, implementation and protection of human rights in the country.
Henshaw stated that the group was against placing responsibility for the protection of pipeline and other oil infrastructures on host communities in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He said that oil host communities have no arms or facilities to guard pipeline areas, urging government to thoroughly investigate sabotage incidents before compelling host communities to forfeit their entitlements due to damages that may result from oil theft.

By: Akujobi Amadi