FG should compel Shell to pay $11.5b fine – Environmentalist

An environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, has called on Federal Government to ensure that Shell Nigerian Exploration and Production Company pays the $11.5 billion fine imposed on it without delay.
Bassey made the call in an interview with the news agency of Nigeria in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Sunday.
He said that the December 2011 oil spill from the Bonga oil facility belonging to the oil company caused a huge damage on the country’s maritime environment.
He said: “The impact of the Bonga spill will continue over an indeterminate period of time and we do not have information of what chemical dispersants Shell used to combat the spill.
“Aquatic life in the impacted area remains at risk.
“Indeed, all of us who consume sea foods from the region are vulnerable to the toxic impacts of the spill.”
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and the Nigeria Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency had imposed the fines on Shell against the impact of the spill.
The Director-General of NOSDRA, Peter Idabor, announced the fine on February 4 in Abuja.
NIMASA recommended a $6.5 billion compensation for the impacted communities, while NOSDRA recommended an administrative fine of $5 billion against the oil company.
Bassey commended the regulatory agencies for taking firm stand on the massive environmental pollution that resulted from the spill.
“Government should stand firm on these fines and place further sanctions if payment is delayed,” he added.
He said that the fine for the spill that discharged 40,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic would make oil firms operating in the country to take environmental issues seriously.
Meanwhile, Shell has said that there is no evidence to support the allegation that any community is impacted by the Bonga oil spill.
A statement issued by Joseph Obasi, a spokesperson of the company, quoted Chike Onyejekwe, its Managing Director, as denying that its officials frustrated government agencies’ efforts to access the spill sites.
The statement said: “We deeply regret that this incident took place, but as a responsible operator and corporate citizen, we responded to it professionally and effectively.
“Everything we did was with the active support of the regulatory authorities and in compliance with the applicable regulations.”