Shell Buys a Bigger Piece of Nigeria’s Misery – With Extra Crude on Top

In a move that can only be described as heroically tone-deaf, Royal Dutch Shell — the planet’s favourite petrochemical pariah — has decided it simply doesn’t own enough of Nigeria’s oil-drenched legacy. So, with the grace of a vulture buying a bigger piece of a rotting carcass, Shell is snapping up TotalEnergies’ 12.5% stake in Nigeria’s Bonga deep-water oil field for a smooth $510 million.

Because why settle for 55% when you can control 67.5% of an operation steeped in environmental degradation, political manipulation, and the lingering scent of gas flares and grief?

A Toxic History, Now with 12.5% More Contemptplease

Shell’s Nigerian operations have long been the stuff of nightmares, poetry, and international lawsuits. From oil spills that turned the Niger Delta into a shimmering dystopia, to collaborating with Nigeria’s military dictatorship during the execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995, the company has proven time and again that it treats local communities like disposable obstacles to profit.

Let’s not forget Shell’s secretive ties with Hakluyt, a private intelligence firm set up by former MI6 agents. This outfit has been used by Shell to monitor NGOs and environmental campaigners — because nothing screams “ethical operator” like corporate espionage.

Now, by deepening its grip on Bonga, Shell isn’t just buying oil reserves. It’s doubling down on a legacy of ecocide, corruption, and covert surveillance — all lovingly lubricated by one of the world’s most exploitative industries.

Green Goals? More Like Green Goggles

Shell has the gall to frame this deal as part of its plan to grow “integrated gas and upstream total production by 1% a year through 2030.” Yes, while the rest of the world is scrambling to cut emissions, Shell is revving the fossil engine harder — with a smile, a PR campaign, and a carbon calculator set to “ignore.”

This is the same Shell that lost a landmark court case in the Netherlands in 2021, when it was ordered to slash emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell’s response? Appeal the decision and invest in more oil fields. Because if there’s one thing Shell loves more than oil, it’s pretending not to understand climate science — or court orders.

The Real Shareholders in Shame

Where are Shell’s institutional investors while this greenwashing bonanza marches on? Right where they’ve always been — clapping politely and cashing dividends. Let’s name a few:

• BlackRock: The ESG hypocrite-in-chief, still heavily invested in Shell despite mouthing words like “climate risk.”

• Vanguard: Always ready to nod solemnly in climate panels while doubling down on fossil portfolios.

• State Street: Quietly complicit, consistently profitable.

These financial giants aren’t just passive observers. They are active enablers of planetary arson, funding Shell’s oily expansion while polishing their “sustainable investing” brochures for the next climate conference.

Regulatory Approval Pending. So Is Justice.

Shell’s acquisition still needs regulatory approval — presumably from the same revolving-door bureaucracies that have rubber-stamped every other environmentally catastrophic megadeal in the region.

And when that rubber stamp hits, Shell will secure even greater leverage over Nigeria’s future: the revenues, the pipelines, the spills, the security contracts — and of course, the silence.

This isn’t just another business deal. It’s a grotesque reaffirmation of Shell’s core operating principle: Profit first, people last, planet never

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor.

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