AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL; CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN
RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT ; ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION; FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
EUROPE; PLATFORM
Press release
Embargoed 00.01 GMT+1 Monday, August 4th, 2014
***
Nigerian Government
and Shell continue to ignore horrendous pollution in Niger Delta
***
Abuja/Amsterdam/Brussels/London, August 4, 2014 – The systemic
failure of the Nigerian government and oil giant Shell to clean up the horrendous
oil pollution in the Niger Delta has been branded “shameful” by a group of
Nigerian and international organisations today.
A damning report, “Polluted Promises” and “No progress” released
today by Friends of Earth Europe, Amnesty International, Environmental Rights
Action, Platform and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development
(CEHRD), exposes a shocking lack of action by Shell and the Nigerian Government
to clean up the widespread pollution in Ogoniland, despite recommendations made
by a major UN study three years ago today [1].
The UN Environment Programme published a scientific study
on the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta in 2011 [2], exposing extensive oil
pollution, severe health risks for the population – including previously
unacknowledged pollution of drinking water – and fundamental failures in
Shell’s processes for cleaning up oil spills.
Godwin Ojo of
Friends of the Earth Nigeria said: “Three
years on and the government and Shell have done little more than set up
processes that look like action but are just fig leaves for business as usual. The
lack of meaningful action in the face of incontrovertible scientific evidence is
outrageous. The Nigerian government and Shell are quite simply getting away
with environmental and human rights abuses in the Niger Delta.”
The UN study, conducted at the request of the Nigerian
government and paid for by Shell, exposed the serious failure of the Nigerian
government to regulate and control companies like Shell. The report also
revealed Shell’s systemic failure to address oil spills going back many years.
The UN described how sites that Shell claimed were cleaned up were found by UN
experts to be still polluted.
Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International said: “No matter how much evidence emerges of Shell’s bad practice, Shell has so far escaped the necessity to clean up the damage it has caused. The UNEP report was clear: Shell did not clean up oil spills properly. Its clean-up system was critically flawed and the consequence has been long-term exposure of tens of thousands of people to pollution and health risks.”
Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International said: “No matter how much evidence emerges of Shell’s bad practice, Shell has so far escaped the necessity to clean up the damage it has caused. The UNEP report was clear: Shell did not clean up oil spills properly. Its clean-up system was critically flawed and the consequence has been long-term exposure of tens of thousands of people to pollution and health risks.”
Paul de Clerk of
Friends of the Earth Europe said: “Three
years after finding out that their operations have exposed almost every man,
woman and child in Ogoniland – and almost certainly tens of thousands of people
in others parts of the Niger Delta – to lifelong pollution, Shell is still more
concerned with protecting itself. Governments
of Nigeria and the home countries of Shell, Netherlands and the UK, should make
sure that Shell starts a proper clean up and compensates the damage.”
The UN study also recommended, amongst other measures, the
establishment of an Ogoniland Environmental Restoration Authority and the
establishment of an Environmental Restoration Fund with an initial capital of
USD $1 billion. Neither of these has been established.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Nenibarini Zabbey: zabbey@cehrd.com,
ph,+234 (0) 8078714037
Paul
de Clerk, Friends of the Earth Europe: paul@milieudefensie.nl , ph: +32
(0)494380959
NOTES:
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