Shell ignored warnings of spill clean-up ‘scam’, whistle-blower tells BBC

The investigation of the BBC revealed the allegations that the energy giant-sheepskin ignored repeated warnings that the contradictory operation to purify the contaminated oil areas of Southern Nigeria was caused by problems and corruption.

The St. London Staff, together with the Nigeria government, has repeatedly stated that the work on cleaning the contaminated Ogoniland oil areas, which started about eight years ago.

But the BBC has revealed evidence that they were repeatedly warned for several years that the scheme created by the government and is funded by various oil firms at $ 1 billion (£ 805 million).

One of the close observers described the cleaning project as “canned” and “scam”, which wasted money and left people Ongliland in the Delta Niger region, continuing to live with the devastating impact the seriousness of their situation.

Shell told the BBC: “The operating environment in the Niger Delta remains a difficult task from the huge scale of illegal acts such as theft of oil.

“When the spill happens from our facilities, we remove and correct, regardless of the reason. If this is an operational spill, we also compensated for people and communities.”

It is planned that the allegations will start on Thursday in the Supreme Court in London, where lawyers representing two communities of Agonland, about 50,000 inhabitants, will say.

The communities say the spilled left them without clean water, unable to engage in farming and fish, and created serious health risks.

Shell, which pushes to sell its assets in the Western African country to concentrate on the sea drum and gas shore, noted that it will defend the claims.

He denies violations and says that the spilled in the region was caused by sabotage, theft and illegal processing, for which the company says it is not responsible.

The BBC visited the affected areas in the Niger Delta, where Shell, the largest private oil and gas company in the country, revealed the existence of crude oil 68 years ago.

The UN says at least 13 million barrels – or 1.5 million tons – crude oil has been spilled since 1958 in at least 7,000 incidents in the Niger Delta region.

The spill left many families that are concerned about their health and existence.

The 37-year-old Grace Audi lives with his partner and two-year-old in Ogal, where shell infrastructure had at least 40 oil spill, according to Leigh Day, UK, which provides communities in this case.

Her family and neighbors only have access to a contaminated well, forcing them to buy clean water for use for drinking, cooking, washing and once a day, washing, at the cost of 4,500 Nigerian Nerri (3, $ 2.40) – in an area, an area, Where average daily wages are less than $ 8.

This is a familiar story for many in Ogogland.

Pauline Agbekpekpe told the BBC that the magnificent greenery once surrounded the flowering Mangri of her community in Bodo – which is not one of those who go to court on Thursday. She said that rivers and ponds were used to pour all kinds of animals and fish, especially the paws.

“The place was more green, not only the Mangrov, but also on the shoreline, there were trees of the paws, palm trees and much more. But during the spill, the destruction was polluted everywhere,” the 50-year-old mother said.

Her family survived fishing for a few generations until she was devastating 10 years ago.

“Most children are from drinking water – there are diseases. Many have died. I lost eight children. My husband is sick.

“As our livelihoods were selected, people are hungry in Bodo and suffer.”

In 2011, the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) published a major study of the impact of pollution on the rich oil area.

It revealed that members of one community in Agonylend were contaminated with well -known carcinogen at the level of more than 900 times higher than the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO). The same chemical, benzene, was discovered in all its air specimens.

It has also been found that the sites that the Nigerian Nigerian Nigerian Company, the Nigeria Oil Remedy Company say they have reworked, still contaminated, and the methods they used did not meet the normative requirements.

The report concluded that the comprehensive cleaning of the area will take 25-30 years – And this has led to the formation of a project to restore hydrocarbon pollution (HYPRP).

Initially, this was created by the Nigeria government in 2012, but in December 2016 the new government was not restored – until it went to a new government.

HYPREP was recorded by oil companies, including the State National Oil Company (NNPC) and Shell, which gave $ 350 million.

However, the BBC saw internal documents that the Nigeria and the Government of Nigeria have warned many times about the alleged fraudulent practitioners of the agency.

One person who knows the project told the BBC about his problems – and asked to remain unknown with the fear of repression.

“It is common knowledge that what we do is doing is a scam. Most of them are people out of the fire,” Svischychyk said.

“It’s a con, so more money could be put in a pan and be in the pockets of politicians and other people in power.”

The charges of failure in HyPrep include:

• Contracts awarded to companies that did not have the appropriate experience
• Lab results falsified – sometimes labeling soil and water as pure
• Costs on the project inflated
• External auditors, which were blocked from cleaning the sites were properly made.

In the report of one meeting in 2023, in which the representatives of the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell, UNEP and HIPP, it was noted that “incompetent” contractors “were again involved” and that they “should not be allowed for further destruction of the environment”

From the same year, the laboratory results were “regularly reported with deviations” in a separate leak of the BBC report.

In 2022, the UN wrote to the Nigeria’s Ministry of Environment, warning that if nothing changes, the “extremely bad standards” of cleaning will continue.

The BBC asked HyPrep and the Nigerian government to comment on these charges but received no answer.

But our investigation showed evidence that Shell was aware of the problems.

At a meeting with the British Supreme Commissioner in Nigeria last January, reports were received in accordance with the Law on Freedom of Information, Sherve’s representatives recognized the “institutional problems” of the harvesting agency and the chance to abandon the “future financing” to it.

Shell told the BBC: “HyPrep is an agency created and controlled by the Nigeria Federal Government, with its Guardian Council, which is largely consisting of high -ranking ministers and state officials, as well as five communities and NGOs and a single Shell representative.”

This is not the only project for restoration in Ogonland, which is allegedly called.

In 2015, Shell agreed to settle £ 55 million for harvesting after two catastrophic spills in 2008 with its infrastructure in Bodo.

The company noted) was certified as 98% completed.

However, the BBC visited the places in the area and found that crude oil is watching from the soil and floating through the waters.

Shell and BMI insist that any cases of oil spill in the region are associated with the theft – known in the industry as “bunker oil”.

“There is a plan to call a contractor for cleaning these areas for specification, to the standard,” said BBC Dumpe Bonifeace Dumpe, Director BMI.

“This is the responsibility of all stakeholders, Shell, yes, take care of their objects to ensure that re -excitement does not occur from their objects.

“But for cleared areas. I think there is also some responsibility for the society to ensure that some illegal activities also do not cause rethinking.”

Shell said active measures are required to prevent oil spill caused by the oil bin.

The company said: “We are taking extensive measures to prevent this activity and spill that it causes, including air observation, removal of illegal ties on pipelines and creating steel cells to protect wells.”

The alleged failures in oil purification come when Shell is preparing for the sale of Nigeria, SPDC, the Renaissance of Africa, the consortium of local and international companies.

Some locals in Ogonilend have accused the oil giant of “escaping” of the proper cleaning of the earth and water supposedly contaminated.

They are also afraid that the shell can still make a profit from this territory, just trading oil produced from the region in the future.

“Operations that the oil operator takes the appropriate pipelines to have a huge impact on their daily life,” said Joe Snape, Leigh Day, BBC.

“There are incredibly small details about what these deals will lead to.

“It is unclear how much the Renaissance (Africa) will act forward. At least with the shell we have funds to draw them to the account.”

Mineral products, such as oil and gas, make up 90% of Nigeria exports, most of which come from the Niger Delta region.

The locals, the main source of livelihood, were agriculture and fishing, said the BBC that since the opening of oil or what some call “black gold”, their home was covered for profit – large oil companies, oil thieves and corrupt politicians.

They say they have not seen any benefit, only suffering – as the patience of OGBO, which blames the recent oil spill for their unsuccessful yields.

“I used to collect, I can eat them with my family and even sell some … But in the last few years I couldn’t get anything. It’s really bad”, a 42-year-old BBC.