Summary of key recommendations in the UNEP report

April 2018 - Recent Developments to Implement UNEP Report Recommendations

The SPDC JV is committed to the implementation of the UNEP Report and welcomes the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) efforts to progress its implementation, including the creation of Governing Council (GC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Ogoni Restoration Fund (ORF) in Aug 2016 to oversee and fund the clean-up process.

The SPDC JV is represented on both the GC and BoT and will continue to actively support the clean-up process along with other stakeholders within the framework established by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Also, the reformation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP) under the Ministry of Environment is a positive development aimed at the sustainable clean-up of Ogoniland.

The SPDC JV applauds the ground-breaking ceremony in February 2017 of the Integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre, which will help create employment opportunities in Ogoniland and facilitate the acquisition of skills in the treatment of contaminated soils. HYPREP has also embarked on intensive sensitisation campaigns with key Ogoni stakeholders including illegal crude oil refiners and conducted medical outreach programmes in four local government areas.

The SPDC JV commits to support HYPREP and the HYPREP Project Coordinator (Dr. Marvin Barinen Dekil) in the clean-up process.

SPDC JV has made available the $10 million take-off fund for HYPREP as part of its contribution towards funding its share of the ORF.

SPDC remains fully committed to continue supporting and contributing its share to the ORF within the agreed governance framework. We encourage all relevant stakeholders to also remain committed to contributing their share to the ORF. 

SPDC continues to look forward to working collaboratively with HYPREP and other government and non-government stakeholders to ensure the clean-up process established by the Federal Government of Nigeria succeeds. To this end, during 2017 SPDC JV was involved in technical meetings with UN organisations and HYPREP aimed at providing an overall strategy for the implementation of the UNEP Report. SPDC also participated in sessions providing support to HYPREP in developing work plans and associated budgets.

SPDC JV continues to implement several initiatives to prevent and minimise the impact of crude oil theft and illegal refining in Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger Delta where it operates. For example:

  • community-based pipeline surveillance,
  • awareness campaigns, and
  • the promotion of alternative livelihood programmes, such as Shell’s youth entrepreneurship programme, Shell LiveWIRE.

The UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland in August 2011. The report was commissioned by and delivered to the Federal Government of Nigeria. It makes recommendations to the government, the oil and gas industry and communities to begin a comprehensive cleanup of Ogoniland, restore polluted environments and put an end to all forms of ongoing oil contamination in the region.

Restoring Ogoniland

UNEP assessed that the environmental restoration of Ogoniland would require coordinated efforts on the part of government agencies at all levels, industry operators and communities. UNEP also presented its recommendations as a major opportunity to bring new investment, employment opportunities and a culture of cooperation to Ogoniland in addition to driving improvements in the environmental and health situation on the ground.

Multi-stakeholder response

The majority of UNEP’s recommendations require multi-stakeholder efforts coordinated by Federal Government of Nigeria agencies. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture, is one of the stakeholders addressed in the UNEP report, although it has not produced oil or gas in Ogoniland since 1993. Over the last six years, SPDC has taken action on all recommendations directed to it by the UNEP Report and has completed a majority of these recommendations.

Sustainability

As the UNEP report stated, treating the problem of environmental contamination within Ogoniland merely as a technical clean-up exercise will ultimately lead to failure. Ensuring long-term sustainability is a much bigger challenge – one that will require coordinated and collaborative action from all stakeholders.

The UNEP report highlighted significant environmental impacts from oil pollution in parts of Ogoniland relating to a variety of causes. Their report also calls for a coordinated effort between government, oil and gas companies and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Ogoniland, such as crude oil theft and illegal crude oil refining.

Statements and disclaimers

Disclaimer June 2016

Disclaimer: "Shell Pulls Out Of Ogoni CleanUp Accuses FG Of Insincerity And Lack Of Commitment"

We have seen the above-captioned report which was purportedly issued by a Shell Spokesperson on June 8, 2016, on some online news outlets. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) wishes to clarify that this report is untrue as we did not issue such statement. The SPDC Joint Venture remains a committed partner in the implementation of the UNEP Report and will continue to play its part in the Ogoniland clean-up process. 

Igo Weli, General Manager, External Relations, SPDC June 2016

Statement August 2016

“The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) welcomes the inauguration of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees for implementation of the UNEP Report in Ogoniland on August 4, 2016. We commend the leadership shown by President Muhammadu Buhari in the implementation of the report, including consultations with a wide range of stakeholders led by the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Amina Mohammed."

“SPDC remains committed to playing its part in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report and contributing its share of the environmental restoration fund once the appropriate governance arrangements are put in place."

“The inauguration of the two bodies represents significant progress in the implementation of the UNEP report, and we look forward to further working together with stakeholders and government agencies to operationalise the recommendations.”