This video and others like it never cease to shock me - the sheer destruction, the poverty, the utter helplessness of the people.

watch it here : http://poisonfire.org/

Something just struck me about the video - does Shell pollute the environment in other areas the way it does in Nigeria? They claim the government is corrupt, yet they do business with it!

I must say these lawyers, rights activists and community leaders are the real heroes, not the gun totting MEND or whatever they call themselves. These guys are working hard to change things within the law. Sadly they are not always successful, but their spirit and determination must be applauded.

Anyone here who works in such a company/environment has to really think about that money you're getting - at the expense of others.

Interesting.

They may need to ask Shell why their environmental practices in that region are worse than elsewhere.

Somehow, I suspect there may be a local connection as well.

There is a local connection no doubt - weak enforcement and regulation of their activities, not to talk of government corruption.

But for a company as big as Shell and as well known, their atrocities in the Delta are Unacceptable.

These environmental conditions violate Shell's own internal rules and policies - they should either clean up or get out. They cannot blame the government for continuing to pollute - like a woman said, Shell's pipeline is polluting, not the FG's.

Wow, I had goose pimples watching this movie. I don't even know what to say. No matter how corrupt the country is, that is no excuse for the way Shell is behaving.

Thanks for posting this.

Thank God for internet. We can all do something, even if it is as little as sending the link to all your friends on facebook, please do. People need to see this, especially the Hague conference. To say you do not have fund to stop flaring of gas, is the most ridiculous thing. Like we all don't know the price of gas now.

I have so much to say, but I will start by cursing all of them. I am so angry. This is so sad, tears sef wan comot.

i nova watch am yet, but i must insist that we blame ourselves first b4 anyother person. why is our environment a fertile ground for lawlessness. shell cant do this in london, or pretoria. why will they do it in nigeria, b/c we are lawless and we must invest all our energy into being a civilised country. after that we can now be able to look outside and deal with any external forces. i'm sure local corruption contribited overwhelmingly to what is going on in the niger-delta

darfur:

i nova watch am yet, but i must insist that we blame ourselves first before anyother person. why is our environment a fertile ground for lawlessness. shell can't do this in london, or pretoria. why will they do it in nigeria, b/c we are lawless and we must invest all our energy into being a civilised country. after that we can now be able to look outside and deal with any external forces. i'm sure local corruption contribited overwhelmingly to what is going on in the niger-delta

good points sha.

debosky:

There is a local connection no doubt - weak enforcement and regulation of their activities, not to talk of government corruption.

But for a company as big as Shell and as well known, their atrocities in the Delta are Unacceptable.

These environmental conditions violate Shell's own internal rules and policies - they should either clean up or get out. They cannot blame the government for continuing to pollute - like a woman said, Shell's pipeline is polluting, not the FG's.

true talk.

I've always felt the Niger Delta region needs a strong hand- preferably a military guy who is not from the area, or anywhere near it.

I've always felt the Niger Delta region needs a strong hand- preferably a military guy who is not from the area, or anywhere near it.

what makes u think so??

Hi All,


How so, so sad!  That is my part of Nigeria and those are my people.  It brings tears to my eyes. 

You know what?  Shell is taking the piss by saying at the Hague that they were expecting the Nigerian government to give them money to clean up the environment.  An environment that they (Shell), had polluted over several decades.  What has that got to do with the Nigerian government?

Shame on the corrupt Nigerian government for doing very little about it.  If they really wanted, they could have demanded that Shell ceased all operations in the Niger Delta until the environment had been cleaned up and properly inspected by an international body.  

Listening to that fool of a so-called Managing Director of Shell, lying through his teeth, blaming it all on budget cuts by the Nigerian government, just beats me.  What a plonker!  

I wish that all those people blaming the peoples of the Niger Delta for the troubles out there would see this video and decide for themselves.

Oh yeah, and the thieving  Nigerian politicians 'an all.  Why don't you spend some of your stolen riches to fund the clean-up operations in the Niger Delta, instead of stashing them away in Swiss bank accounts?  Bloody robbers!

This video needs to be posted on YOUTUBE for the world at large to see.




kiwi992.

darfur:

i nova watch am yet, but i must insist that we blame ourselves first before anyother person. why is our environment a fertile ground for lawlessness. shell can't do this in london, or pretoria. why will they do it in nigeria, b/c we are lawless and we must invest all our energy into being a civilised country. after that we can now be able to look outside and deal with any external forces. i'm sure local corruption contribited overwhelmingly to what is going on in the niger-delta

That is a very lame excuse - if it were some small company without experience or ability to manage its operations safely, then maybe that would be acceptable. But this is SHELL - they tell their shareholders that they hold the SAME values WHEREVER they operate and will strive to maintain the same environmental standards throughout.

This is a basic thing - you DO NOT operate where you will cause such pollution, or at least without cleaning it up first. How can they continue to report profits to the HQ and claim that its the budgeting process that is hindering them? Why not bear the cost and say that the government owes them money for cleaning up the environment like they do for other aspects of the JV funding?

Shame on the government yes, we lack the ability to regulate the industry properly, but for crying out loud, a company like Shell should not be caught dead operating under these conditions. It is completely unacceptable.

debosky:

for crying out loud,

who brought this obscene word into nigeria? must "for crying out looud" has to be in everything we say these days? how did we get through life without this not crying out loud?

anyway shell or no shell, i blame lawless nigerians for this iniquity

That is a very lame excuse

actually it's not a lame excuse, shell has an history of bribing chiefs and LG heads in the niger delta.  these guys turned their backs while shell penetrated every loophole.  lack of industry and environmental standards hurt nigeria in this case.  

they tell their shareholders that they hold the SAME values WHEREVER they operate and will strive to maintain the same environmental standards throughout.

good point, but this is a foreign for profit company that exploited equatorial guinea too.  the nigerian government has itself to blame for not regulating the industry.

Blaming Shell is akin to dealing with the symptoms of a disease without dealing with the root causes. The key problem is the lax domestic regulatory environment in which they are operating in.

Blaming Shell,for the groups that produce these campaign videos, has it's pecuniary benefits. More sympathy and public support is available when you take on the rich Western majors.

If an when Shell were to leave,try using this tactics on the likes of SINOPEC,Petronas or ONGC. That is why,currently,nobody is doing videos attacking NNPC. No money is made from raising awareness on the lax environmental practices of non-Western oil companies.

@debosky

I must say these lawyers, rights activists and community leaders are the real heroes, not the gun totting MEND or whatever they call themselves. These guys are working hard to change things within the law. Sadly they are not always successful, but their spirit and determination must be applauded.

You are absolutely right. These people deserve all support. But they are the ones who get harassed by the army while the MEND guys are having a field day posing for the press. The guy in the video who took Shell to court, Jonah Gbemreh, was among 25 people, including journalists, who were arrested by the army in Iwherekan the other day. See http://www.eraction.org

@tpia

I've always felt the Niger Delta region needs a strong hand- preferably a military guy who is not from the area, or anywhere near it.

Are you crazy? Strong-handed military men are the cause of this mess.

@kiwi
The video is on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq2TBOHWFRc

zumbe:

@tpia Are you crazy? Strong-handed military men are the cause of this mess.

If the military started the mess, then who says the military can't also clear up the mess.

Not every officer in the military is a corrupt money grubbing decadent politician like you want to believe.

Being unnecessarily emotional hasnt gotten anyone anywhere, as far as this issue is concerned. So why not use a clear head.

joshjosh:

who brought this obscene word into nigeria? must "for crying out looud" has to be in everything we say these days? how did we get through life without this not crying out loud?

is everything ok with you?

Not every officer in the military is a corrupt money grubbing decadent politician like you want to believe.

I know. I didn't say that the military officers are bad or corrupt. I met one in Bayelsa who said he didn't understand what the army was doing there. Why he was sent to fight his nigerian brothers to protect a foreign company. There is no military solution and there is no shortage of strong men.

zumbe:

I know. I didn't say that the military officers are bad or corrupt. I met one in Bayelsa who said he didn't understand what the army was doing there. Why he was sent to fight his nigerian brothers to protect a foreign company. There is no military solution and there is no shortage of strong men.

'
I dont think we're on the same page here.

tpia wrote:
I've always felt the Niger Delta region needs a strong hand- preferably a military guy who is not from the area, or anywhere near it.

Zumbe wrote:
Are you crazy? Strong-handed military men are the cause of this mess.

No Zumbe, he is not crazy. He is your awusa friend whom you trusted and helped to fight and win Biafra. He is only suggesting ways to crush you so the oil will keep flowing to his northern nigeria encalve. After all, he helped liberated your people from the Biafrans and the oil automatically belongs to him and his people. So why are you complaining?

I have never felt more angry and ashamed to be a Nigerian. So, according to 4play, because Shell is a Western company, that is why we are blaming them. Wow, clap for yourself. Now, I know our problem will never get solved. I am too angry to even type anymore.

Nothing new here. . . . gas flares are everywhere. . . . two near my grandmothers house alone. . . . there is an almighty one on Eleme express way, just 20 minutes drive from PH. . . . it looks like hellfire itself. . . . .look at all the gas Nigeria is wasting that they could use to solve PHCN problems. . . . not only Shell but the NNPC refinery flares gas openly. . . . and they pass it off as a national symbol. . . . everyday for the thief, one day for the owner, its all good. . . . firstly, regulation needs to be tightened. . . .but at the same time, foreign oil companies cannot tell us one thing in their fancy adverts about caring for the environment and totally disregard ethics and morality. . . .

kudos to the filmmakers. . . . they should keep doing the good International Relations work. . . .the rest of us will do the military work. . . . every struggle has two sides. . . . . I wonder if this video will make it to CNN sha. . . . or even common AIT or NTA, talkless of UN floor or Hague . .I doubt it. . . .even Nairaland will not put on the front page. . . .  . . .  Mr Seun, put this shit on your front page abeg. . . .if its LAWMA officials or skinny girls who hate themselves, we will see it on front page. . . . remember that you are a media mogul now and that comes with some moral responsibilities.

the rest of us will do the military work. . . . every struggle has two sides

so what good has come out of the millitary struggle

4 Play:

Blaming Shell is akin to dealing with the symptoms of a disease without dealing with the root causes. The key problem is the lax domestic regulatory environment in which they are operating in.

Blaming Shell,for the groups that produce these campaign videos, has it's pecuniary benefits. More sympathy and public support is available when you take on the rich Western majors.

If an when Shell were to leave,try using this tactics on the likes of SINOPEC,Petronas or ONGC. That is why,currently,nobody is doing videos attacking NNPC. No money is made from raising awareness on the lax environmental practices of non-Western oil companies.

4Play, ONGC and SINOPEC do not claim to have internationally certified Environmental Management Systems like ISO 14001, they don't claim to have internal policies geared at continuous improvement of their environmental performance. If it were SINOPEC or ONGC polluting this way, it would be a different kettle of fish altogether - those companies have weak environmental structures and at that point, more emphasis would be placed on government to improve their own frameworks.

This is not about 'pecuniary benefits' as you so slyly try to excuse it as - SHELL is the OPERATOR, i.e the one responsible for all impacts on the environment and for running of these oil assets. The Operator always faces the brunt of criticism or praise wherever it operates, be it in Nigeria or on the North Slope in Alaska. NNPC has virtually nil production by itself, all its oil comes from projects OPERATED by these foreign companies.

Their livelihoods have been destroyed, shouldn't they protest and get their environment remediated? The people by and large are not even asking for 'compensation' as such - they want flaring stopped and the oil cleaned up. To make it out as simply a money-grab is very disingenuous, these people are protesting against real problems on the ground.

Yes there is a lax regulatory environment, but IOC's like Shell MUST bring best practices wherever they operate, that is what they pride themselves for and claim to do - if they fail at that, they must be held fully accountable for violating their own internal rules and policies.

Before nko,there is no system in place in the so-called country,nigeria.It is a rogue state,run by slow children like minded animals.

Shell and co are dragons,they spit fire on the weaklings,they don't give a mess about you,for all they care,die,if you don't have any thing in place to counter them.It is time to fight back.

Oga admin, well done o!

I know how companies get sued by people all over Europe and America especially when they mess with the environment.
Those rubish they dump there causes cancer.
And our so called government sits back in
Abujah to share money they recieved from them as bribes.

Nothing lats forever. You can not see a spill of oil in europe,
even at mechanic workshops.
Every one is afraid of the law and its consequences.
They turned Sub-saharan Africa into a dump where they can do whatever they wish and get away with it.
.

debosky:

4Play, ONGC and SINOPEC do not claim to have internationally certified Environmental Management Systems like ISO 14001, they don't claim to have internal policies geared at continuous improvement of their environmental performance. If it were SINOPEC or ONGC polluting this way, it would be a different kettle of fish altogether - those companies have weak environmental structures and at that point, more emphasis would be placed on government to improve their own frameworks.

Are you kidding? Which oil major doesn't make the above claims? ONGC and SINOPEC do claim to maintain and pursue high environmental standards. For instance, read SINOPEC's claims and laugh:

Safe production is Sinopec's top priority. Implementing the policy of "Safety First, Prevention Foremost, All Involvement and Comprehensive Control" as well as upholding the principle focusing on all stuff involvement, whole process, all positions and around the clock, Sinopec practices an integrated health, safety and environmental protection (HSE) management. The Company's HSE objectives are to seek zero incidents, no harm to health or deterioration of environment, so as to achieve world-class HSE performance". All subsidiaries execute total HSE management system according to the Company's guidance; make every effort to ensure sufficient deployment of personnel, funds and facilities to set up an effective mechanism, thus achieving stable and safe operations.

There is no oil major that doesn't claim to have high environmental safety procedures. The question becomes why select Western oil majors for special treatment?

This is not about 'pecuniary benefits' as you so slyly try to excuse it as - SHELL is the OPERATOR, i.e the one responsible for all impacts on the environment and for running of these oil assets. The Operator always faces the brunt of criticism or praise wherever it operates, be it in Nigeria or on the North Slope in Alaska. NNPC has virtually nil production by itself, all its oil comes from projects OPERATED by these foreign companies.

Shell is a joint venture partner,the minority partner if I'm not mistaken, and the suggestion that it should be bear the brunt of the blame is farcical. Could it be that Nigeria has no leverage over the environmental practices of its partners? That will be far from the case. The real issue is the domestic regulatory environment;it could be Shell today,Petrobras or Gazprom tomorrow.

It is about pecuniary benefits since the "activist industry" sees big Western multi-nationals as money spinners,in so far as tugging at Western heart strings. Western multi-nationals generally maintain higher standards,where ever they operate,than their domestic and foreign rivals but strangely endure the most criticism.

The idea of giving companies with virtually zero safety procedures a free pass while piling on companies that do make some effort is ludicrous.

Their livelihoods have been destroyed, shouldn't they protest and get their environment remediated? The people by and large are not even asking for 'compensation' as such - they want flaring stopped and the oil cleaned up. To make it out as simply a money-grab is very disingenuous, these people are protesting against real problems on the ground.

The problem of the state of the Niger-Delta transcends Shell's inadequacies. Anybody who really wants a solution to the problem will support handing over a 100% control over the resources of the region to the locals.

This is a national political problem not a problem of internal company procedures. What is Nigeria doing with its share of the joint venture partnership? The Govt must use its share of the revenues(80% of oil revenues) to deal with the economic issues while enforcing good environmental standards.

Shell is a business not a quasi-charity. No responsible country absconds responsibility for regulating a business to the internal management structure of the business. If the US,the UK or Canada looked the other way,Shell will do the same thing in those countries.

Nigeria was quick to muscle in in the 70s;expropriating Shell's PH refinery,BP's retail business and nationalising the oil industry; to grab the oil revenues to squander in far away places like Lagos and Abuja,showing where our priorities lay. Yet,we effectively abandon the responsibility of protecting the Niger-Delta's environment to Western businesses.

SHELL just treats the citizens of the country the same way it sees the leaders treat the citizens. Without ANY respect.

carmelily:

SHELL just treats the citizens of the country the same way it sees the leaders treat the citizens. Without ANY respect.

seconded

4 Play:

Shell is a joint venture partner,the minority partner if I'm not mistaken, and the suggestion that it should be bear the brunt of the blame is farcical. Could it be that Nigeria has no leverage over the environmental practices of its partners? That will be far from the case. The real issue is the domestic regulatory environment;it could be Shell today,Petrobras or Gazprom tomorrow.

It is about pecuniary benefits since the "activist industry" sees big Western multi-nationals as money spinners,in so far as tugging at Western heart strings. Western multi-nationals generally maintain higher standards,where ever they operate,than their domestic and foreign rivals but strangely endure the most criticism.

I disagree - Shell remains the operator of the business, the one charged with day to day running of exploration and production. It has the primary responsibility to ensure that its actions are carried out in proper fashion. Granted that the FG has a greater overall responsibility in general, Shell remains culpable for the actions on the ground. They are the ones running the facilities and should clean up as and when due.

Saying that Nigeria takes 80% of the profits is a side issue - running costs and production costs are met before any profits are considered, Shell is in effect ripping off the country if it claims to be cleaning up and fails to do so - such costs are already included in the day to day operating expenditure of the company.

This is not about any 'activist industry' - this is about the lives of people being destroyed by the reckless actions of an IOC - keep your cynicism for other cases. There is a genuine case of harm caused here and people seeking basic relief - clean up our environment, not even demanding compensation as such. There is no pecuniary benefit for getting Shell to clean up its mess.

There is no doubt that the regulatory environment needs to be firmed up, but there must be some reason why Shell's environmental performance is so much worse than even its contemporaries operating in Nigeria. Yes it is the largest producer, but even Exxon and Elf who have 2nd and 3rd largest production in Nigeria have a proportion of pollution incidences much lower than that of Shell. There is a basic issue with the way this company does business, and cannot be excused simply as a regulatory matter.

4 Play:

Shell is a business not a quasi-charity. No responsible country absconds responsibility for regulating a business to the internal management structure of the business. If the US,the UK or Canada looked the other way,Shell will do the same thing in those countries.

There is no charity involved here - If you pollute the environment, YOU CLEAN UP. Its not a favour or benevolent action, that is what is required from the company according to local and international law, as well as its own self proclaimed policies. If they still work with the same government they say is corrupt to make their profits, then it is unacceptable that corruption will be used as the excuse to continue pollution. Shell should clean up its act or get out.

4 Play:

Shell is a business not a quasi-charity. No responsible country absconds responsibility for regulating a business to the internal management structure of the business.

Does the concept "corporate responsibility" ring a bell?

If the US,the UK or Canada looked the other way,Shell will do the same thing in those countries.

My point (made earlier) exactly.

this is simply BARBARIC.

and the lawmakers are looking the other way!

this government is dead to its primary responsibilty

but very alive to lootocracy,

GOD DEY sha.

@deboski,

a doctor does not give panadol to a patient with headache and ask him to go home. a doctor tries to find out what is causing the headache. it may be malaria, or typhoid fever, or stress etc, then the doctor treats the underlying disease.

shell's activites are like a headache(a very throbbing headache) but beyond that, there is something going on. there is a lawless nation.

we'll be damned if we expect shell to love us. they are business men. period. their interest is money. if they can do it in london and get away with it they will. but they wont get away with it so they wont do it in europe. when they came to chaos-iria nigeria, they saw they can get away with it and they did just that. even after a court injunction(i finally found time to watch it all) they are still getting away with it. did you see how the niger-deltans sent to europe to help showcase the horrors of shell were overtly intimidated by the presence of shell top brat? the people have been so humiliated and dehumanised. evidence of a wasteland(nigeria) you need to see illiterates in the UK fighting for their rights. poor illiterates will confront even the prime minister. b/c they live in a country where humanity is respected and everyone is important. our children in naija have grown in a country where some people are made to believe they are inferior. Another evidence of a failed nation.

that is the underlying pathology of the shell issue. failed nation, lawless nation, shell capitalisation, dehumanised citizens who dont know how to fight for their rights, . . . .

To Hell with Shell
How do u want Millitants to stop
Let them never stop