Page 10 - AfrOil Week 06 2023

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

Shell has said that oil spills in the Niger Delta
are a result of illegal refining, with a company
spokesperson telling Reuters that most spills
related to the claims in the lawsuit were caused
by illegal third-party interference, including
pipeline sabotage.
“We believe litigation does little to address
the real problem in the Niger Delta: oil spills due
to crude oil theft, illegal refining and sabotage,
with which SPDC [Shell Petroleum Develop-
ment Co.] is constantly faced and which cause
the most environmental damage,” the Shell
spokesperson said.
The case is expected to set a precedent in
determining the accountability of multination-
als for the actions of their foreign subsidiaries.
The legal action against Shell is a result of
decades of oil spills in the Niger Delta, which has Shell says theft, illegal refining and sabotage are the main triggers for oil spills
had a devastating impact on the local commu- such as this one, which occurred at Diebu Creek flow station in 2014 (Photo: Shell)
nity. In 2021, the UK Supreme Court ruled that
a group of 42,500 Nigerian farmers and fisher- spills remain a persistent issue in the Niger River
men could sue Shell in England, acknowledging Delta, a region plagued by poverty, pollution,
the serious harm caused by the spills to land and and corruption fueled by oil.
groundwater. In 2020 and 2021, Nigeria’s National Oil Spill
The latest compensation claim, filed by Leigh Detection and Response Agency recorded 822
Day on behalf of 11,317 individuals and 17 insti- oil spills, releasing 28,003 barrels of oil into the
tutions such as churches and schools, alleges that environment, with most being attributed to
the oil spills have resulted in loss of livelihoods, SPDC.
damage to property and environment, and even In December, Nairametrics reported that
reduced life expectancy in the region. SPDC had agreed to pay €15mn to three com-
Meanwhile, Shell has confirmed that its munities over oil spills. The communities are
Nigerian subsidiary SPDC will continue to Goi in Rivers state, Oruma in Bayelsa state and
clean up affected areas. Despite its efforts, oil Ikot Ada Udo in Akwa Ibom state. ™

NNPCL says Nigeria’s gasoline shortages

are easing due to distribution programme

REGIONAL NIGERIAN National Petroleum Co. Ltd
(NNPCL) claimed earlier this week that fuel
shortages had abated since the beginning of Feb-
ruary in many parts of the country following the
execution of a gasoline distribution programme.
In a Twitter post, NNPCL referred to a weekly
report showing that it had withdrawn 450.92mn
litres of gasoline from its storage facilities dur-
ing the week starting January 28, equivalent to
64.42mn litres per day. Since then, it said, filling
stations in most parts of Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger
and other states have been able to serve more
customers, and fewer drivers have had to queue
up to wait for a chance to buy gasoline.
Mele Kyari, the group CEO of NNPCL,
stressed that the fuel shortages Nigeria has been NNPCL says fuel supplies are improving in many parts of the country (File Photo)
experiencing for some time stem not from a lack
of supplies but from problems with distribution. as we speak now, we have over 28 days of supply
The fuel withdrawal programmes aim to address even if we evacuate up to 60mn litres of PMS
that issue, he indicated. [premium motor spirit or gasoline] every day,”
“We do not have a supply problem because Kyari told the NTA news network.

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 06 09•February•2023