-By Zik Gbemre  

OIL DEGRADATION/POLLUTION OF NIGER-DELTA CREEKS/LANDS: A SHARED BLAME 

• Most pipeline vandalism in recent times are third party induced for various unlawful gains 
• The increasing crime now a shared evil involving host communities, service contractors and some oil companies workers. 
• The polluted communities endangering lives and livelihoods of generations unborn 

It is very uncommon to experience crude oil/condensate spillages caused by equipment failure on the vast pipelines constructed by the Federal Government of Nigeria through supervisory NNPC/NPDC and operating oil partners to transport crude oil and associated product across the operating environment.

But no doubt, a significant proportion of crude oil/condensate spills that have become almost a daily experience, threatening health and livelihoods, in massive pollution, particularly across the Niger-Delta states are third party induced for various unlawful self-enrichment. read more

THIS DAY

Royal Dutch Shell Commences Major Divestment of Assets in Nigeria

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja JULY 31, 2021

Royal Dutch Shell has launched a major divestment of its Nigerian assets, especially those in the shallow water and onshore, several sources familiar with the matter said yesterday.

Sources close to the company disclosed that the oil giant had already hired Standard Chartered Bank to sell its Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) subsidiary, in deal which could be one of the hugest in the oil and gas industry in Africa ever. read more

DW.COM

Shell’s Niger Delta cleanup: Ogoniland’s uncertain future

A Dutch court in January ruled that Shell had polluted the Niger Delta and ordered the energy giant to pay compensation. But many are now questioning whether it is enough to put right the misery suffered by the people.

The conflict between the indigenous people of Ogoni in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a perennial one.

This year’s court ruling by an appeals court in the Netherlands — in favour of Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands and four Nigerian farmers — was heralded by some of them as justice. read more

REUTERS

Acquittal of Eni and Shell in Nigeria case faces legal challenge

MILAN, July 29 (Reuters) – Italian prosecutors and the Nigerian government have appealed the acquittal of Eni (ENI.MI) and Shell (RDSa.L), as well as a series of past and present managers, in a Nigerian corruption case, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Shell’s failed blundering attempt to kill my royaldutchshell.website

By John Donovan (last updated 30 July 2021)

Last week, a CYBERSECURITY INTELLIGENCE outfit acting for Shell issued a 5-day ultimatum on behalf of Shell to the company hosting my royaldutchshell.website.

I would not have had a clue about the ultimatum letter if the hosting company had not tipped me off about what was going on behind my back at Shell’s direction.

For 26 years, I have used the Internet as a medium to criticise and expose Shell’s unscrupulous dishonest activities, including, for example, the Shell securities fraud that ruined Shell’s reputation. read more

Image from Amnesty International UK

IMAGE SOURCE: Slick PR can’t disguise Shell’s devastating oil pollution in Nigeria

ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Fisherwomen, Chevron and the Leaking Pipe

By Ruth Maclean July 25, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ET

Oil companies like Chevron, Shell and Eni have made billions in profits in the vast Niger Delta region in the last decades. But now some are pulling out — and they are leaving utter ruin in their wake, according to government monitors and environmental and human rights organizations. The delicate ecosystem of the Niger Delta, once teeming with plant and animal life, is today one of the most polluted places on the planet. read more

upstreamonline.com

Shell’s Niger Delta oil-spill case to be heard in UK courts

22 July 2021 8:13 GMT UPDATED  22 July 2021 8:13 GMT

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell has run out of time to appeal a UK court ruling earlier this year which found that a five-year-old case on environmental pollution in the Niger Delta should be heard in the UK and not Nigeria. In February, Shell’s lawyers failed to convince the High Court in London over the jurisdictional argument that the trial would be better decided in Nigeria, although Shell was given leave to appeal but declined to do so. read more

After two decades of seeking justice, the District Court of the Hague ruled in May 2019 that the case could be heard in The Netherlands. In the ongoing case, the Court is assessing the role that Shell played in the ‘Ogoni Nine’ – among them my husband – being sentenced to death and executed.

EnergyVoice

Shell abandons push for oil spill case to be heard in Nigeria

Shell’s legal team declined to return to England’s High Court with arguments that the five-year-old case would be better heard in Nigeria, according to the parties in the case, conceding that the Nigerian subsidiary will now be joined to claims made in England against the parent company.

The UK Supreme Court said in a landmark ruling in February that Shell’s parent company could be sued in English courts for the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary. The court, however, left the door open for Shell to argue that it was more appropriate to leave any action against the local unit to Nigerian courts. By including the subsidiary in the UK proceedings, more documents about Shell’s work in Nigeria are likely to be made public. read more

FRANCE 24

Polluted by the oil industry: Life in Nigeria’s Ogoniland

By: Moïse GOMIS|Emmanuelle SODJI: 02 July 2021

The Ogoniland area of southern Nigeria is one of the most polluted places on Earth. The crops are burnt to a cinder, ash and tar smother the land and the wells are polluted with oil, making the water totally undrinkable. Entire communities have suffered as their way of life has been destroyed by the oil industry. Our reporters take you to Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta, where pollution has become the norm. read more

EMAIL ABOUT OIL SECTOR CORRUCTION IN NIGERIA SENT TO SHELL CEO MR BEN VAN BEURDEN, 25 JUNE 2021

-By Zik Gbemre  

WITH THE LEVEL OF CORRUPTION STILL PERVADING THE OIL SECTOR, NIGERIAN POLITICIANS HAVE STILL NOT LEARNT THE VANITY OF MATERIAL POSSESSION – THE NEED FOR THEM TO HAVE A RETHINK, AND FOR ANTI-GRAFT AGENCIES TO TAKE ACTION  

• The mind-boggling allegation of high-profile corruption in the sale of 57 marginal fields involving the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva; Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura; Sarki Auwalu; Sabiu Yusuf (aka Tunde); Sarki Abba and others, should be thoroughly investigated by anti-graft agencies… 
• It is sad how many people have made that piece of paper called money, to become their masters, and they the slaves of it… 
• The sacred values like hard work, diligence, honesty and integrity that once held our society together, have all been replaced… Leaving our societies decaying daily without us even realizing it… 

For as long as I can remember, the subject of high-profile corruption amongst Nigeria’s political class, is one that has continued to get worse, despite all the so-called fight against corruption by the past and present Governments. And it is one problem that has continued to deprive the majority of the Nigerian populace from having access to the dividends of democracy, and has kept the nation perpetually underdeveloped, while those in the political space have continued to feed fat to the detriment of all. read more

REUTERS

Italian court acquits two in Nigeria oil graft case

BY REUTERS STAFF: JUNE 24, 2021

MILAN (Reuters) – An Italian appeals court on Thursday overturned jail sentences handed down to Nigerian Emeka Obi and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo for their part in a graft case involving Eni and Shell in Nigeria.

In a decision taken behind closed doors but read out to reporters afterwards, the three judges quashed the convictions and said there was no case to answer.

The prosecution itself had asked for the sentences to be overturned after a court in March acquitted the two energy groups in a long-running case revolving around the acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield for about $1.3 billion. read more

17 June 2021

Sir. Ben van Beurden,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
Royal Dutch Shell,
Shell Headquarters,
Carel Van Bylandtaan 16,
2596 HR, The Hague,
P.O. Box 162, 2501AN,
The Netherlands.

Dear Sir,  

THE ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SHOULD BE WARNED NOT TO DIVEST OML 25 IN THE NIGER DELTA AREA OF NIGERIA, TO AVOID DENTING ITS RESPECTED PUBLIC IMAGE AS A RESULT OF UNRESOLVED LEGACY/FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES 

With reliable news that The Royal Dutch Shell and its Operators in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), are in the process of divesting/selling its Oil Mining Lease 25 (OML 25) in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, we consider it necessary to alert and warn the Leaders of Royal Dutch Shell/SPDC to desist from carrying out such plans. read more

REUTERS

Italy orders inquiry into Eni-Shell Nigeria corruption prosecutors

June 15, 20212:26 PM BST

MILAN, June 15 (Reuters) – Italy’s justice ministry ordered an inquiry on Tuesday into the conduct of two prosecutors in a corruption case involving energy groups Eni (ENI.MI) and Shell (RDSa.L) in Nigeria.

Milan’s top prosecutor said last week that he backed the two men, after a trial lasting more than three years.

Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Writing by Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Alexander Smith read more

EMAIL to Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden from the Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)  

From: Zik Gbemre <[email protected]>

Subject: ON SHELL REVEALED PLANS TO VACATE NIGER DELTA – THE REAL ISSUES

Date: 1 June 2021 at 11:13:46 BST

To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]>

Cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, John Donovan <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]> read more

PREMIUM Times

Nigeria: Malabu Scandal – OPL 245 Licence Expires

By Oladeinde Olawoyin: 26 MAY 2021

The expiry of the licence returns control of the oil field to the Nigerian government.

The licence for the controversial Nigerian offshore OPL 245 oil block has expired, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

According to civil society campaigners Global Witness, Eni confirmed the development in response to questions at their 2021 annual general meeting.

The organisation added on Wednesday that the expiry of the licence returns control of the oil field to the Nigerian government. read more