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By Paul Williams
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta say oil multinationals divesting from onshore holdings have legal and moral responsibility for the clean-up of polluted sites in the region if the buyer of the divested entity cannot pay.
Members of communities impacted by pollution from crude oil exploration and international supporters gave the warning on May 20, 2025 as investors met for Shell Plc’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Representatives of impacted community, during a march in the city of Port Harcourt on May 20, said Shell has legal liability and moral responsibility for the clean-up if the buyer of its Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) cannot pay.
Emem Okon, Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, Nick Hildyard, Founder and Director of The Corner House (UK), Ana Xambre Pereira, Advocacy Officer, Both ENDS (Netherlands) and Cindy Coltman, Co-director of Hawkmoth (Netherlands), in a statement, said the liabilities, from 70 years of oil exploration and extraction, could total tens of billions of dollars.
They said repairing the human and environmental damage caused to local communities is likely to cost at least $12 billion in just one of the nine Niger Delta states where Shell and other multinationals have been active, according to a comprehensive 4-year study by international researchers for the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission.
“This pollution is directly harming 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 WHO 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,” they said.
The group further noted that “Shell claims that under the terms of the sale to the Renaissance Group – a consortium of five firms comprising four Nigerian exploration and production companies and an international energy group – it has passed these liabilities to the buyer.
“However, under Nigerian, English and International law, there may be historic and residual liability that remains with Shell plc.
“In addition to the suit over the Renaissance sale, Shell is also facing two lawsuits in the UK. One by the Ogale and Bille communities alleges that Shell contaminated their land and waterways, and another by the Bodo community claiming cleanup costs of at least $660 million USD,” they said.
Nigerian civil society groups and international allies expressed the intention to ask Shell management to provide assurances that oil pollution in the Niger Delta will be fully cleaned up and communities compensated.
Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, Dr. Emem Okon, asked “When will Shell stop prioritising profit over public health?”
She said findings from the blood tests of 80 women in Otuabagi community in Bayelsa State, indicated the presence of hydrocarbon levels more than 8000 times above World Health Organization permissible limits.
“The Bayelsa Oil and Environment Commission tested the blood of 1600 persons and all had hydrocarbons in their blood too. Women are suffering from respiratory diseases, fertility problems, breast cancer, eyesight impairment, among many others! Shell cannot divest without clean-up and remediation,” she said.
Founder and Director of The Corner House (UK), Nick Hildyard, wondered “Why should investors have any confidence that the pollution for which Shell is responsible will be cleaned up when Shell itself has reportedly acknowledged to the UK Government it had ‘encountered difficulties persuading NNPC and the wider Nigerian authorities to agree to permit sale,’ adding that ‘NNOC said there is no one able to buy and run the assets’; and that, ultimately, ‘We just have to trust that they [Renaissance] can handle the cleanup’?
Ana Xambre Pereira, Advocacy Officer, Both ENDS (Netherlands), said “A just energy transition is critical and it is about time Shell takes part in it.
“Shell’s current exit is not a responsible divestment nor an energy transition, it’s an offloading of toxic assets and liabilities onto the local communities, while Shell continues its offshore fossil fuel operations and walks away with the profits. A just energy transition means enforcing clear standards for responsible divestment now, before more communities are sacrificed.”
While Co-director of Hawkmoth (Netherlands), Cindy Coltman, said “We stand in solidarity with the people of the Niger Delta calling for justice and accountability of Shell plc.”
She noted that “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 and Shell seems poised to develop, trade and benefit from Nigerian offshore oil and gas without taking responsibility for cleaning up and decommissioning aging infrastructure.”
