There is no escape route for Shell from Nigeria without honouring its obligations to its host communities. This is because the Environment Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, insists that the federal government must not to allow the oil giant to dispose its assets that have ruined the environment and livelihoods of Niger Delta communities without remediating the impacted environments and adequately compensating the locals. The demands are coming after it was reported that Shell is planning to sell a productive Nigerian oil block to Taleveras Group for more than $2.5 billion.

Godwin Ojo, executive director ERA/FoEN, said that Shell it is wrong for Shell to divest without clearing its mess and paying the full price. “The company is attempting to flee from the nest it has fouled thereby shifting the odium to local communities of the Niger delta. This will not be accepted,” he explained.

Ojo said that the Nigerian government should immediately halt the divestment plan until Shell cleans up every pollution it has caused and provide veritable remediation in line with global standards. “We are in solidarity with the impacted communities and Friends of the Earth International groups that recently at its Biennial General Meeting in Sri Lanka demanded that the Nigerian government must muster the political will to implement the UNEP report recommendations on cleanup of Ogoniland after three years of inaction on the report. There is no doubt that Shell has been a very bad investor that the communities of the Niger Delta will like to get rid off but it must be held accountable for donkey years of pollution and devastation which cannot be erased by the whim,” he stressed.