Shell International accuses Shell Nigeria of hiding data on spill hazards in N/Delta

A new health report by a German geologist contracted by the Dutch-British multinational, Shell, said its Nigeria subsidiary “fiercely opposed” environmental testing and is hiding data showing that thousands of Nigerians are exposed to health hazards from stalled cleanup of the worst oil spills in Nigeria.
An environmental study found “astonishingly high” pollution levels with soil “literally soaked with hydrocarbons,” geologist Kay Holtzmann wrote in a letter to the Bodo Mediation Initiative.
The report then recommended that the people of Bodo should get urgent medical tests and treatment.
The Niger Delta cleanup was stopped 17 months ago. It was part of a British out-of-court settlement in which Shell paid $83.5 million to 15,600 fishermen and farmers for damages from two oil spills caused by old pipelines in 2008 and 2009.
Shell Nigeria said it was only 1,640 barrels and initially offered the community $50,000 in compensation.
The agreement was reached through British law firm Leigh Day, which said it has received no response to a Jan. 30 letter to Shell asking for the data from Holtzmann, who was hired by Shell to manage the cleanup.
“Leigh Day has been pushing for the cleanup of Bodo, health screening of the population and testing of the water supply since 2011 – all to no avail,” it said. “This letter shows that even those who were employed by Shell are deeply concerned by their behavior and their lack of transparency.”
Holtzmann’s letter revealed that children bathing in creeks are in danger of harm from toxic substances, likewise people who drink from hand-dug wells.
Amnesty International called Shell “deeply irresponsible … Shell has a responsibility to share this information with the community to ensure they can take steps to protect themselves and their children,” a statement from the rights group said.
Cleanup conducted by Dutch government began in June 2015 but were stopped within months because of community disputes and problems with contractors.
Holtzmann’s letter urged, Bodo Mediation Initiative co-chair Inemo Samiama to publish the data, noting that the initiative’s committee had insisted on the tests “against fierce opposition from SPDC.” Shell Petroleum Development Co. is the subsidiary in which Nigeria’s government is the majority shareholder. The country is one of Africa’s largest oil producers.
The environmental tests were carried out in August 2015 with support from Shell’s headquarters in The Hague, the letter said.
Holtzmann said his intent to publish the findings in a scientific magazine last year was quashed by Shell, which said his contract did not permit publication.
Samiama said in a telephone interview that residents’ health will be better served by getting on with the cleanup. After a challenging four-year process, “we are on the verge of getting contractors back to the site,” he said.