By Obiabin Onukwugha
Three communities in the Niger Delta, are to get legacy projects following a judgment they secured against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 2023.
The communities include, Oruma in Bayelsa State, Goi, in Rivers State and Ikot Adaudo in Akwa Ibom State. This is part of the agreement that followed a judgement secured by the communities in the Netherlands after fifteen years of legal battle.
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), had on behalf of the communities dragged Shell to the international court following different spills from its facilities in the said communities.
Giving update on the matter, Program Manager of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), and Coordinator, Oilwatch International, Kentebe Ebiaridor, told NatureNews in Port Harcourt on Monday, that the projects, is part of the agreement reached for settlement between the communities and Shell, as compensation for the devastation on their farm lands.
He said: “Some time about 18 years ago, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN supported communities of Oruma in Bayelsa State, Goi community in Rivers State and Ikot Adaudo in Akwa Ibom State to sue a multinational company called Shell in Netherlands. Some how the case lasted about 18 years in the Hague and the communities were successful.
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“Although, sadly before the court gave the judgment, most of the plaintiffs have died, their children inherited it. But be it as it may, we have gotten justice and justice meant that Shell had to settle with the communities out of court and they came to the agreement, about €15million (fifteen million Euros), five million euros for each community and as I speak to you over 90 percent of all the communities have received their payments.
“And also part of the agreement the communities have made within themselves is not just to take the monies, but also try to build legacy projects. And the process of doing the legacy projects which the communities will select. That is the stage that the communities are right now.”
It would be recalled that in October 2004, over 23, 000 litres of oil spilled into the environment that resulted in fire outbreak that destroyed nearly 40 acres of mangrove forest in Goi community, Gokana local government area of Rivers State.
In June 2005, barely a year after the oil spill incident in Goi, a leak from Shell’s pipeline near Oruma, polluted the environment for 12 days before SPDC contained the spill. Then in August 2007, another incident occurred in Ikot Ada Udo, where about 100, 000 litres of oil leaked from Shell’s wellhead.
The terms of the settlement, it was gathered, were signed on 22 December, 2022, and in January 2023, Shell paid the agreed upon amount. The detection system has also been installed, and now environmental groups are monitoring it to see how it is working.
Data from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, which is responsible for monitoring and responding to oil spills in Nigeria, showed that there were 10,409 spill incidents in the Niger Delta, releasing a combined 464, 210 barrels of oil into the environment between 2011 and 2022.
