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Shell to implement UNEP report in stable Ogoniland

By Sulaimon Salau
14 September 2015   |   4:53 am
SHELL Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has assured full implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland once government enthrones sanity in the community devoid of crude oil theft and other disturbing vices.

shellSHELL Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has assured full implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland once government enthrones sanity in the community devoid of crude oil theft and other disturbing vices.

The General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, Igo Weli, who spoke in Lagos; said his company was favourably disposed to the report if government could put in place a sustainable structure to restore sanity in the area. “It does not make sense investing so much into a clean-up exercise when you continue to have more spills due to illegal bunkering activities.

In fact, there was another report last week and we took the necessary actions immediately,” he said. Already, the Shell official said the oil multinational had implemented a chunk of the action plans recommended by the report and plans were underway to effect the remaining.

According to him, SPDC had implemented 16 of the 22 actions directed at it in the document while it continues to work relentlessly to balance the remaining four. In the report, 50 others actions were targeted at government while another four was for the host communities.

The document also recommended the commitment of $1 billion to the restoration of the environment. Shell said it would soon announce a committee that is to champion its own share of the Ogoniland Restoration Fund.

Weli also disclosed that the company had engaged in community empowerment scheme to improve the lot of the indigenes through its LiveWIRE programme, among others. Besides, he said about 5000 youths had been recruited in surveillance of its facilities coupled with daily helicopter overfly. “Though, these people are under consistent threat from the perpetrators of the illegal activities,” he said.

Shell, however, expressed optimism that the present government would make significant impact. President Muhammadu Buhari had recently approved several actions to fast-track the long delayed implementation of the report.

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