Niger Delta Pollution is Political, Says Environmentalist

*Describes region as crime scene, knocks Shell for lending $1.2b to buyer of facility

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Renowned environmentalist and Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, has alleged that the pollution situation in the Niger Delta region is politically motivated, saying that the government has not shown serious concern on the effects of the pollution on the people in the region.
The environmentalist also criticised Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for divesting its facilities to companies that lack financial capacity to manage the assets.

Dr. Bassey stated this yesterday, during the training of Eco-defenders in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, organised by HOMEF.
It would be recalled that SPDC in a press statement on January 16, 2024, had revealed that it reached an agreement to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies comprising four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria and an international energy group.

The oil multinational also revealed that “Renaissance comprises four Nigerian companies, ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, and Waltersmith, and one Geneva-based company, Petrolin, involved in exploration, production, and oil trading”.

The statement added: “The assets on sale are estimated to be worth $2.8 billion. Initially, Shell will receive USD $1.3 billion and then a further $1.1 billion, on completion of the sale. But here comes the rub: Shell will provide a loan of up to USD $1.2 billion to the buyers to help them buy their stake in SPDC”.
Reacting to the transaction, the HOMEF director regretted that the Nigerian government is allegedly celebrating a company that is loaning fund to companies coming to manage the assets, describing the move as a shame and injustice on the people.

He said the government is only interested in endorsing the document for divestment of the oil companies instead of ordering them to restore the environment they have damaged during their operations in the Niger Delta communities.
His words: “We have always said that pollution in the Niger Delta is not accidental but political. It is a decision made by those who are benefiting from the pollution. The oil company is benefiting from the pollution because they are not doing the cleanup, that is profit for them. The people die; the less the number of people complaining about the pollution is a gain for the oil company and also for the Nigerian government.

“The government doesn’t care about the people and the environment. So, this training is to make people really layout foundational basis on how to follow up with what they see.

“The unfortunate situation in Nigeria is that the oil companies and the Nigerian State are working hand in hand. They are having the same kind of benefits and so regulating an activity from the Nigerian government is difficult and very slow in coming.
“The oil companies have so much manipulated the government and the government stands against the people. For example, in the issue of divestment; when the say there should be no divestment without responsibility, without the company first cleaning up the mess they have caused over 70years and pay reparations for the damage they have done, the government is more willing to just endorse the document and tell them to go, because they believe in the so call local content.”

Further according to Bassey: “Even Shell Petroleum Company is giving a loan to the company buying its assets. They are giving them $1.2billion for the sale. That means the company buying Shell doesn’t have money. It is a shameless transaction that is in the open and government is celebrating it. They should be held to account”.
The environmentalist added that “The challenge for us is why we want to step up monitoring and defending, so that government had to realise that they are in the office to defend and work for the people. They are not there to work for themselves”.

In his presentation, the Executive Director of ‘We The People,’ Ken Henshaw described the Niger Delta region as a crime scene, stressing that environmental pollution has caused so many deaths in the region.

Speaking on the theme: “From Monitoring to Resistance: Eco-Defending as a Resistance Movement”, Henshaw said “What happened in the Niger Delta has caused death, has caused destruction. It has killed people and when people are murdered willingly that is crime. My argument is that the Niger Delta is a crime scene and that crime we know who committed it and we know how they committed it”.

He said the government must take the side of the people and demand accountability for the crime that happened in the region.

His words: “We are asking the government not to allow these oil companies divest unless they fix their mess. These oil companies have operated in the Nigeria and you are leaving you don’t just get to pack your bags and brush your shoulders and walk away no.

“You get to sit down and examine what the impact and harm your extraction has done and fix it. That has not been done”.

He also condemned the incessant gas flaring in the region despite the world moving away from fossil fuel to cleaner energy.

Henshaw added: “The target for ending gas flaring in this country has been shifted for a total of eight times since 1979 till now. Since 1979 that we realised that gas flaring was killing the people, poisoning the people and we realised that we needed to stop it.

“At every point in time the government will move the gas flare end date in response to pressure by the multinationals. And that is pretty what the government is doing now.

“What we have seen throughout the history of oil extraction in Nigeria is that the government tends to treat multinational oil companies like its primary citizens over and above the indigenous people of Nigeria and that is absolutely and totally wrong.

“Our argument is that, for once the Nigerian government needs to listen to our people and listening to our people involves necessarily taking actions to hold these companies accountable.”