Following the move by the Nigerian parliament to fine Dutch oil giant, Shell, $5 billion for the Bonga Oil Spill of December 2011, the Council of Ogoni Professionals (COP International, USA) has applauded the development describing it as justice and an awakening from ‘slumber’.
Speaking to the National Assembly on Monday, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) said although the Bonga Oil spill was contained offshore, there was serious environmental threat. NOSDRA blamed the spill, estimated at around 40,000 barrels, on a failure in Shell’s oil export hose.
“The spilled barrels impacted approximately 950 square kilometres of water surface, affected a great number of sensitive environmental resources,”
the NOSDRA presentation to the environment committee of the national assembly said.
“It has a direct social impact on the livelihood of people in the riverine areas whose primary occupation is fishing.”
Shell, in its response to the fine on Tuesday, said there was no legal basis for the proposed fine.
Undaunted by Shell’s response and likely move from the oil giant to stop the fine, COP International urged the federal government to “not only ensure Shell pays the $5bn fine but to also ensure that the money is spent judiciously on development projects that will benefit the impoverished communities of Southern Nigeria affected by the said oil spill”.
The group described Shell’s claimed that the Bonga spill was caused by sabotage as ‘hogwash’ adding that ‘it should be disregarded immediately.
“Moreover, we appeal to the Nigerian Government to go a step further and prevail on Shell to pay compensation to the locals affected by the oil spill.,” COP International said. “The claim by Shell that the Bonga spill was caused by sabotage is hogwash and should be disregarded immediately.
“More so, the body of Ogoni professionals in the United States seizes this special opportunity to call on President Goodluck Jonathan to stop playing ethnic-politics with the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoni.
” We maintain that if Shell can pay $5bn fine for the Bonga Oil Spill without such a payment making any dent in the company’s coffers, then Shell can equally pay the $1bn recommended by the UNEP for the implementation of its ground-breaking report on Ogoni without any stress on its profits.”
The group also requested President Goodluck Jonathan to approve UNEP’s recommendation of a clean-up of the entire Niger Delta .
” We thereforeappeal to President Jonathan to give his political blessings so that Shell can immediately take steps to implement the report which emanated from the reckless oil exploration and exploitative activities of the company in Ogoni since 1957.
“Finally, the umbrella body of Ogoni professionals reiterates that neither us (COP) nor the Ogoni people in general will accept any partial or selective implementation of the UNEP Report as previously echoed by Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Madueke sometime ago.
