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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/ FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, NIGERIA;
#214,
USELU-LAGOS ROAD; UGBOWO; BENIN CITY; NIGERIA TEL/FAX: +234-52-600165
E-MAIL: ERACTION@INFOWEB.ABS.NET
ERA BLAMES SHELL FOR OLOMORO/OLEH EXPLOSION
Contrary to claims by the Shell Producing Development Corporation (SPDC)
of Nigeria, the September 27,20001 explosion at its Olomoro/ Oleh flow
station in Delta State was caused by the ineptitude of its staff and the
decrepit state of the facility the evironmental Rights Action/Friends
of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), has said.
Shell has filed an action at a Benin Federal High Court against the two
villages; Olomoro and Oleh, alleging that the explosion was caused by
protesting youths from the communities. The company is claiming $25million
damages and $800,000 per day in production loss since the day of the incident.
But ERA/FoE,N in a statement issued Wednesday in Benin City and Lagos
said the findings of its team dispatched to the two villages ran contrast
to Shell's claims. According to the statement, ERA Field Monitors gathered
that a peaceful protest was staged by leaders and chiefs from the two
communities on September 27 to demand a clean up of their environment
and compensation for the loss of their livelihood due to Shell's activities.
At the flow station, the community leaders directed the Shell staff at
the location to shut down the facility which they did. It was later that
the explosion occurred.
A community leader and environmentalist, Mr Izighode Victor Ozighodo
told the ERA Field Monitors, that the " the station attendants are
not experienced and the disaster was caused by Shell's faulty facility",
explaining that when the attendants shut down the flow station, a relief
valve, if available would have provided a vent for the associated gas
that possibly built up the pressure that led to the explosion. Shell in
its statement to the court had alleged that armed youths took over the
flow station, attempted to shut it down, leading to a build -up of pressure
in the surge tanks that caused the explosion. ERA contests this picture.
Similarly, the environmental rights pressure group has decried the invasion
of the two communities by heavily armed soldiers and the continued detention
of people arrested from the two communities.
"No doubt shell wants to adopt litigation as another weapon in its
hostility and propaganda against the Niger Delta people. The company was
quick to sue the communities to distort facts and pre-empt possible agitation
to pay compensation for about 40 years of environmentally destructive
activities in the two communities," ERA Director Nnimmo Bassey said,
adding: "Shell's design is to use litigation to evade justice. And
this is unacceptable to people of conscience worldwide".
MERCY OGBEIDE (MRS)
Information Officer
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