Shell accused of insincerity in MoU implementation by Nigeria’s sub-national Rivers State governor

…as Netherlands shows interest in Ogoni clean-up

The governor of Nigeria’s sub-national government of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has accused Royal Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of insincerity in implementation of memorandum of understanding (MoU), entered with its host communities, a key reason the oil company faces strong agitations in its operational areas.

“Shell doesn‘t want to implement memorandum of understanding signed with communities. Shell divides communities to make sure that the people don’t work together,” said Wike while receiving visiting Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria, Marian Van De Cappello.

Since 1993, Shell has been in acrimonious battle with Ogoni land, a vast area where the company was the operator of oil mining licence (OML) 11, which has some 33 oilfields with capacity of 28,000 barrels per day.

Governor Wike, while telling the visiting Netherlands Chargé d’Affaires in Port Harcourt, lashed at Shell as “part of the major culprits” of insecurity in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

“I sat in a meeting with Shell, Agip and Total.  It was Shell only that refused to implement the Memorandum of Understanding. Despite the actions of Shell, we shall continue to protect national assets, the Rivers governor said.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands diplomat said she was in the state to participate in the clean-up of Ogoni, a $1 billion project of which the current Nigerian government has shown extreme lethargy in outright implementation.

Wike said the Federal Government has not shown seriousness and commitment to the project.  He said that they are only interested in the political gain of the project.