This is bad news, which could have serious ramifications for holding companies legally accountable in the US for their operations abroad. And it has virtually received no press attention at all. Last Friday the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a suit brought by the Ogoni, who alleged that Shell was complicit in human … Read More
Nigeria
Nigeria: Independent Figures Dispute UN’s Findings
If a tobacco company gave the World Health Organisation a $10 million grant to examine the health effects of smoking, health campaigners would be outraged. They would also treat the results with great suspicion. And the fact that Shell gave UNEP $10 million dollars to examine the cause of oil spills in Ogoni means that … Read More
From Brazil to Nigeria, Shell Fights Pollution Allegations
Firstly pollution in Brazil: At the end of last week a Brazilian court fined the local units of Shell and BASF a total of BRL1.1 billion ($654 million) in compensation and medical costs to workers who were harmed by contamination at a chemicals plant in Paulinia, Sao Paulo. The Paulinia unit was built by Shell … Read More
Back In the Other Gulf, Shell Appeals Landmark Ruling
BP may be paying out money faster than its going out of fashion for the Gulf of Mexico spill, but its arch-rival Shell is still not ready to part with its cash. Yesterday, the oil giant’s Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, announced that it was going to appeal against the judgment of a Federal High Court, which … Read More
From One Gulf to Another
Five years ago, I co-authored a book called “The Next Gulf- London, Washington and Oil Conflict in Nigeria”, that – as the title suggested – looked at the interlinked nature of oil politics from America, the UK and West Africa. In part the book details the grievances of the people of the Niger Delta – … Read More
Financial Times Pulls Anti-Shell Advert
Years ago, when the environmental organisation Greenpeace was running a campaign against Ford in the UK, the liberal Guardian newspaper refused to run one of Greenpeace’s anti-Ford adverts. At the time, Ford was one of the largest advertisers in the Guardian and it threatened to pull all its adverts if the Guardian ran the Greenpeace … Read More
Soyinka Defends Nigeria’s Militants as Attacks Continue
They are two moments in history, intricately linked, although poles apart. Today Peter Voser, the chief executive of Shell, outlines the company’s financial and production strategy for the coming year. Once again Nigeria was mentioned as a key country where the company had added strategic reserves. “These are exciting times for Shell”, said Voser. “We … Read More
Oil companies threaten Nigeria over reforms
The showdown between Argentina and Britain over the Falklands is not the only row brewing on the international oil scene. A bitter battle is brewing between oil giants such as Shell and Chevron and the Nigerian government over proposed reforms of the oil and gas sector. The oil companies are threatening that up to $50 … Read More
Shifting Geo-Politics not Good for the Climate
Change may only happen in small steps, but slowly and surely the geo-politics of oil are changing. The dynamics of Middle Eastern oil are in transition. Anyone who argued that the war in the Gulf was a war about oil should sit up and take notice. And anyone concerned about the climate should also be … Read More
Yet More Criticism of Shell’s Nigerian Operations
Yesterday it was internal criticism of Shell’s Nigerian operations. Today it is external criticism. A new report by the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) argues that Shell can improve its negative social and environmental impacts in the Niger Delta. Based on case studies researched and written by five civil society organisations working in the … Read More