Groups ask Shell to stop oil extraction in Nigeria

(Nigeria) Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, in collaboration with several other Climate Justice Activist groups and the people of Niger Delta, have called on Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, to stop exploring fossil fuel in Nigeria and clean up areas affected by its operations in the Niger Delta.

The groups made the call at a peoples' Annual General Meeting, AGM, held ahead of Shell's 2022 AGM in London and Netherlands, during which they also urged Shell investors, particularly the Church of England, to withdraw its moral support to the company, until it was ready to revise its 2021 Energy Transition Strategy, and align with the Paris Agreement, which stipulates 'limiting increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees celcius above pre- industrial level.'

The groups specifically urged participants at the London / Netherland AGM, to prevail on Shell Nigeria to comply with the Paris Agreement as they called on the Federal Government to re-commit itself to the said global agreement.

Addressing journalists at a rally held at Shell's Corporate Headquarters, Marina, Lagos, on Monday, the convener / Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugulor, lamented the impacts of Shell operations in the region, over the years and the company's habit of non- compliance to regulations by global authorities, noting that it was high time people empathized with host communities of oil  companies, particularly, in the Niger Delta.

He recalled how ANEEJ, brought together 40 West African Non Governmental Organisations, NGOs, in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd. Justin Welby, asking the Church of England Pensions Board, and by extension other investors, to withdraw their support to Shell and how the letter was ignored.

He also noted how Shell later faced two major challenges in its energy transition strategy as well as the way the International Energy Agency directed that no new oil and gas fields should be approved for development after 2021, as a means of achieving the global target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

He explained that a Dutch court later ruled that Shell must cut its carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030, with immediate effect.

He accused Shell bosses of failing to feel accountable, and as such, didn’t change the company’s strategy, nor appealed the verdict and that the highly esteemed Church of England said nothing about the matter.

Going further, the director stressed that only recently, the Church alluded to the possibility of not granting its moral authority to Shell via its role in the $68 trillion Climate Action 100+ initiative, saying that the civil society mass action would see to major Civil Society activists’ participation and link up to actions of the Stop Cambo Movement in the UK, the Green Anglicans in Southern Africa, and with several other groups and networks around the world.

He called on the Church of England and other financiers of Shell to completely withdraw their moral and financial support to the company, whose operations in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have been constituting unquantifiable nuisance to the people of the region.

In their various contributions his counterpart at Indegenous Centre for Energy and Sustainable Development, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, National Leader, Publish What You Pay Camgain - Nigeria, Taiwo Otitolaye and the National Cordinator, Ogoni Solidarity Forum - Nigeria, Celestine Akpoborie, and equally others recounted the impacts of Shell's oil exploration activities in the region, earlier mentioned and pointed out that such throw-ups have subjected inhabitants of the region to abject poverty for decades.

Youths from the oil rich region also spoke at the event. Among them were Nwanam Sorban, representing Ogoni Youth for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Sunaolu Juwan of Take It Back Movement - Nigeria and Eyanuku Oluwakemi, a Yoruba lady married to Urohbo, in the Niger Delta.The trio noted that Shell's activities in their region which ought to enrich their people, have been impoverished them. Pointing at samples of soil and water taken from the area, Sorban explained that their land and water are no longer safe for farming and fishing, owing to oil extraction activities by Shell.They expressed the determination of the people of Niger Delta to take their destiny into their hands, without further delay. "Enough is enough. We have begged Shell for too long, and as such, have now said "NO" to fossil fuel expansion, carbon emission, gass flaring, global warming, environmental degradation, etc, which have been destroying our peoples' means of lifelihood for ages. "The said, adding that they want a just energy transition"

Efforts to obtain Shell's view on the issues raised proved abortive as they up security and barred visitors from entering the premises.

No fewer than 100 members of civil society organizations, such as Human and Enviromental Development Agenda, HEDA, popularly known as HEDA Resource Centre, Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, Policyalert, Greencode, etc, participated in the rally.