Civil Society Groups Warn Investors Interested In Shell’s Assets In Ogoniland

Some civil society groups in Rivers State led by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FEON) have warned local investors interested in  the assets and liabilities of the divesting Shell Petroleum Development Company(SPDC) to be exercise caution.

The groups, which also include “We the People and People’s Advancement Centre,” accused SPDC  of failure to remediate oil polluted areas in Ogoniland before divesting its onshore assets.

The Executive Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mr Chima Williams, gave the warning during a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

He disclosed that Shell had launched a major divestment plan of its Nigerian assets  since May 2021 through the company’s Chief Executive Officer,  Ben Van Beurden, saying it no longer viewed its activities in the Niger Delta region as core to its ongoing strategy.

Williams explained that the real reasons behind Shell’s decision to divest is the decaying facilities of the company which has led to constant spillages and the realization that it was no longer business as usual as victims now use legal means to fight them.

He urged SPDC to make restitution to their victims before divesting, warning that new investors would inherit assets and liabilities of the company if it failed to cleaned up the pollution in Ogoniland.

“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, Mr Celestine Akpobari, the Executive Director, People’s Advancement Centre said that the resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)  would be insensitive without the proper clean- up and compensation of Ogoni people by Shell.

Akpobari called on the Federal Government to fully comply with the recommendations of the UNEP report on Ogoniland to alleviate the suffering of the people.

In his speech, the Executive Director of the group, Mr Ken Henshaw said: “We the People, urge the Federal Government to invest in clean energy, protection of the environment, implementation and protection of human rights in the country.”

Henshaw also faulted the placing of the responsibility for the protection of pipeline and other oil infrastructure on host communities under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA)

He said that the oil communities had no arms or facilities to guard the oil pipeline areas, urging government to thoroughly investigate the sabotage before compelling the oil host communities to forfeit their entitlement due to damages caused by oil theft.