New reports by the human rights organisation, Amnesty International, and environmental rights bodies such as Friends of the Earth Europe, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, and Environmental Rights Action and Platform, reveal that neither Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigeria subsidiary nor the Federal Government has done anything to clean up the pollution occasioned by oil exploration in the Niger Delta region of the country.
The report also pointed out that oil production has contaminated the drinking water of at least 10 communities in Ogoniland area of the Niger Delta. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) detailed assessment of pollution in oil-producing areas of the region published in 2011 had earlier stated that it would take up to 30 years to clean up affected areas.
Amnesty International and the environmental rights activists regretted that Shell and the Nigerian government had not done anything to implement the UNEP recommendations, three years after they were made. According to them, “the failure to fully implement any of the non-emergency measures after three years has resulted in a loss of confidence among many stakeholders. Even the emergency measures have only been partially implemented.”
The activists also condemned the poor implementation of the UNEP report in the area of water supply, highlighting the erratic supply of smelly water that is unpleasant and unfit for human consumption. They further affirmed that families in the affected areas drink water from wells that are contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen, at levels over 900 times above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. They said the people of Ogoni have continued to suffer the effects of 50 years of oil exploration that has polluted their land, air and water, and left them under-developed.
However, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has explained that it is making progress in implementing the UNEP report on Ogoniland, but could not do it alone. The Manager, Media Relations of SPDC, Precious Okolobo, said that majority of the UNEP recommendations require multi-stakeholders efforts coordinated by the Federal Government to implement.
Regardless of this excuse, we urge Shell to take the lead in cleaning up Ogoniland. It is good that the Federal Government has elected to dialogue with the communities that are affected by this oil spill in a bid to design modalities to implement the UNEP report. Government, Shell and other stakeholders involved in the cleanup of the affected areas should ensure that the UNEP report is implemented to the letter. Partial or shoddy implementation of the recommendations in the report is unacceptable. Best practices must be followed in the effort to clean up the polluted communities. It is scandalous that those who should clear up this oil pollution are dillydallying over the matter that ought to be addressed expeditiously in view of its socio-economic and health implications for the inhabitants of the areas.
Shell and the Federal Government should borrow a leaf from United States President, Barack Obama, on how he handled a similar issue in the Gulf of Mexico and quickly implement the UNEP report on Ogoniland. The collaboration between Obama and British Petroleum (BP) on the clearing of the 2010 oil spill should be instructive to President GoodluckJonathan and Shell.
The way some of the oil majors relate with their host communities in Europe and America is quite different from how they relate with oil-producing communities in Nigeria. Companies that cause oil pollution in Nigeria should not be allowed to get away with the neglect of the affected communities. They should be compelled to clean up the polluted environment of the Niger Delta. The Federal government must also ensure that the right thing is done in Ogoniland. There should be no excuses on the part of either Shell or the government. The environment of all oil-bearing communities in the country must be cleaned of the pollution occasioned by exploration of oil and gas. Let the UNEP recommendations on Ogoniland be fully implemented. Ogoni people have a right to safe drinking water, farmlands and fishing ponds.
