Katherine Abayomi.
For over six decades, Shell’s oil exploration and extraction activities have caused irreparable environmental damage, destroyed livelihoods, endangered health, and deepened poverty and underdevelopment in a once-thriving region called the Niger Delta.
As Shell shareholders gather in comfort at the 2025 AGM, there is a call to remind them that their profits are soaked in the tears and suffering of the Ogoni/Niger Delta people. Their pipelines leak poison into the people’s homes and rivers. Their flares choke the skies. This silence and denial have become complicity in injustice.
In Solidarity with this, the Lekeh Development Foundation held a rally in conjunction with Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center at Shell Gate in Port Harcourt to draw the world’s attention to the human and environmental rights abuses Shell has been inflicting on the people and environment of the Niger Delta. The rally urged Shell to own up, pay up, and clean up its mess before divestment.
An environmentalist from the University of Port Harcourt Department of Adult and Non-formal Education, Professor Mbalisi Onyeka, stated that Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta has worsened the environment, affected livelihoods, and caused migration in the region.
“It’s above 6oyears now, and instead of experiencing prosperity the Niger delta has experienced poverty, degradation, flooding, death, low infertility, low productivity of the farm land, everywhere is polluted the sources of livelihood has been taken away from the Citizens of the Niger delta region. More poverty has been experienced”
“Migration has worsened the situation as a result of constant flooding in the Niger Delta region. Constant flooding leads to migration, which leads to crisis and insecurity. A lot of negativity has been experienced as a result of Shell’s impact on oil exploration.
The environmental advocate calls on Shell to clean up their mess before thinking of leaving the Niger
Program Officer Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Idongesit Smart, revealed that Shell provided Renaissance with $2.5 billion USD in loan facilities as part of the sale. The terms of the loan deal remain opaque, and there are concerns within the Niger Delta groups and civil society organisations.
“They are raising questions about whether Renaissance will be able to repay. Such capacity is also completely inconsistent with the transparency obligations Shell signed up for as a board member of the EITIL.
Nigerian authorities have raised concerns about Renaissance’s ability to pay cleanup and remediation liabilities. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) initially rejected”
“Shell plc’s divestment application in October 2024, citing Renaissance’s lack of financial and technical ability to manage the assets, following concerns raised by international consultants S&P Global in a report. which remains secret While this ruling was overturned by the
Nigerian presidency. SPDC, Renaissance and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are now facing a lawsuit over the oil license transfer in Nigerian courts, on the grounds of failure to comply with Nigerian law, including failing to provide a required study on the state of the environment. “She stated.
Idongesit further stated the effects of these pollution and even the Center’s findings, revelation in these communities.
“This pollution is directly on the livelihoods and health of communities in the Niger Delta. One recent study by the Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre found women in the community of Otuabagi had 8000 times the permissible limits of hydrocarbon levels in their blood. Chronic exposure to these chemicals can lead to Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological illnesses, respiratory disorders, visual and gastrointestinal ailments, and skin Conditions. Other studies have documented the impact of spills on the local fishing industry.”
The Center, along with other Nigerian Civil Society groups and international allies, demands that Shell’s management provide assurances that oil pollution in the Niger Delta will be fully cleaned up and communities compensated.
The Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre (Nigeria), Dr Emem Okon, also called on Shell to stop and take public health seriously.
“When will Shell stop prioritising profit over public health? Our findings from the blood tests of 80 women in Otuabagi show hydrocarbon levels more than 8000 times above”.
Dr Emen further revealed the World Health Organisation’s permissible limits. The Bayelsa Oil and Environment Commission tested the blood of 1600 persons, and all had hydrocarbons in their blood too—women suffering from respiratory diseases, fertility problems, breast cancer, eyesight impairment, among many others.
” Shell cannot divest without clean-up and remediation! A just energy transition means enforcing clear standards for responsible divestment now, before more communities are affected. There is no mention of a clean-up fund in Shell’s Annual Report regarding the sale of SPDC. This deal is unfair to the people affected by decades of unabated oil pollution. Shell seems poised to develop, trade and benefit from Nigerian offshore oil and gas without taking responsibility for cleaning up and decommissioning ageing infrastructure onshore. This cannot stand.” She retorted.
In a Joint Statement signed by Lekeh Development Foundation, the indigenous people and impacted communities of the Niger Delta region members with the international Supporters read by the Program Coordinator Climate and Gender Issues Lekeh Development Foundation Comrade Melody Barry- Yobo. They demand for :
A Full clean up and ecological restoration of the Niger Delta to the status of the ecosystem before oil exploration started.
The Restoration of the livelihood of the people, Restoration of the health of the people through health justice and access to care.
They also called for a stop of the oil exploration in the Niger Delta Region.
This is the position of Lekeh Development Foundation and Kebetkache Women Development and Resources Centre.
