Nigerian Groups Denounce Proposed Shell Share Sale that Would Be Undertaken without a Full Cleanup
Move Would Allow Company to "Leave Devastation Behind and Walk Away without Consequence"

A proposed sale of Shell’s shares in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, alongside similar divestments by TotalEnergies and other oil companies, threatens the environmental and social well-being of the Niger Delta and its people for generations to come, warned a letter from Nigerian groups released on 16 December 2024.

The letter explained that "approving Shell’s or TotalEnergies’ divestment in its current form without addressing the profound environmental and social costs would be a grave injustice to the people of the Niger Delta and could lead to significant unrest in the region. It would be an affront to the generations of Niger Deltans who have fought and died for environmental justice, their homes, and their livelihoods" and would amount to a "declaration of war" on local residents.

Allowing the divestment, the letter continued, "would send a dangerous message to all multinational corporations operating in Nigeria that they can extract our resources, leave devastation behind, and walk away without consequence. This is not just a question of corporate accountability; it is about Nigeria’s sovereignty, dignity, and the right of its people to live in a clean and safe environment."

The Corner House stands with our partners and people from the Niger Delta urging President Bola Tinubu to uphold the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the decision of the regulatory authority NUPRC to refuse the divestment requests.

See also https://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/resource/italian-activist-denounced-oi....