Shell should take responsibility for its toxic legacy of polluting the Niger delta before abandoning its oil infrastructure there, said a report by the Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO).
The report urged the British company, to clean its legacy of pollution in the Niger Delta after earning billions of dollars from the region’s fossil fuel industry.
UK Labor MP Clive Lewis has told the House of Commons that Shell’s divestment from the delta raised serious concerns that its environmental responsibilities and obligations could be evaded.
Audrey Gaughran, the executive director of Somo told the Guardian that “as the oil industry enters its final phase, whether that’s in the next five years or 25, Shell has sold its toxic assets and will not be left holding them when the music stops.”
The departure of Shell, which has been the dominant operator with the largest footprint in the region for decades, affects significant areas of the delta and thousands of communities.
Registered trustees of the Community Development Committees of Oil and Gas Producing Areas of Niger Delta (CDCOGPAND) have demanded a right of first refusal by indigenous people from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) before selling off its crude oil drilling business and facilities in the Niger Delta region