By Bisola Adeyemo
The Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) has decried the delay in struggles for justice and lawful resolution of oil spill from Shell Nigeria Exploration and Exploration Company (SNEPCO) facility.
ARFAN disclosed this in a communique on Monday, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, after a New Year Review and Agenda Setting meeting.
The communique was signed by representatives of the group from the impacted states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Rivers.
According to the communique, Punch reported that the incident was said to have crippled the business of thousands of fishermen in the Niger Delta.
It read, “This hardship, which has led to the untimely death of many of the members of the association, is as a result of the attitude of Shell towards the victims.
“That Shell never empathised with the victims even during the height of the spill impacts even when it had been determined through a Post Impact Assessment that the spill was as a result of operational failures and an estimated 40,000 barrels of crude oil had been pumped into the waters – operational fields of the fishermen/women.
“That the present Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has given the Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria victims of the Shell Bonga Oil Spill the most listening ears.
“We demand on behalf of all the victims of the Shell (SNEPCO) Bonga Oil Spill, which is rated globally as one of the most devastating, that Shell pay immediately the fines/awards of $3.4bn imposed on it by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency which fines/awards were upheld both by the National Assembly through the House Committee on Environment and a competent court of the land – the Federal High Court in Lagos.
“We demand that should Shell want to appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, it should show good faith by first lodging the judgment sum with the Registry of the Federal High Court,” the body added.