Community Rejects $46m Settlement From Shell

$46m Settlement From Shell

terseer adamu (Review)

VENTURES AFRICA –

 Indigenes of Bodo village in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria have rejected a settlement offer from Royal Dutch Shell, for the oil spillage that has left the community without a meaningful source of livelihood.Shell, a leading oil exploration company in Nigeria, offered members of the Bodo community, estimated to be around 15,000, a N7.5 billion ($46.3 million) settlement deal for a pipeline spillage it took major responsibility for.However, much to the frustration of the international oil firm, its efforts to prevent the situation from escalating is proving fruitless as its offer was on friday rebuffed by the host community.“We haven’t reached [an] agreement on compensation, which is disappointing,” a spokesman for Shell’s Nigeria unit said, adding that the clean up progress for the spills have been on a progressive path.Members of the community, who are mainly fisherman and farmers claim the offer is insulting and disrespectful given their losses – under the settlement, each individual will pocket $1,700.“The whole week has been deeply disappointing,” said Martyn Day of Leigh Day, the British law firm representing the villagers.The legal representative, who has been locked in talks with shell in Port-Harcourt since Monday added that, “The settlement figures are totally derisory and insulting to these villagers.”Though both parties had agreed to settle amicably, disagreements have risen over the amount of spillage that has been done.While the legal firm, backed by an expert report, puts the volume at 600,000 barrels of crude – which would make the worst in history, Shell, also citing an independent investigation, says only 4,100 barrels were spilled, according to a Reuters report. Source: http://www.ventures-africa.com