Shell, Nigeria and the Ogoni. A study in unsustainable development: I. The story of Shell, Nigeria and the Ogoni people – environment, economy, relationships: conflict and prospects for resolution1

Abstract

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its joint-venture partners - particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation - have earned billions of dollars from the oil extracted from the land of the Ogoni in the Niger Delta. The Ogoni however complain that they have not seen adequate benefits; rather the oil has cost them dearly in terms of a deteriorating environment and underdevelopment and mobilized a successful national and international campaign against the Nigerian government and Shell. Despite the avowed non-violent nature of the campaign, military repression resulted in thousands of Ogoni killed, raped, beaten, detained and exiled and the main leaders executed. Under pressure from the Ogoni, Shell was forced to pull out from Ogoniland in 1993. Since then, Shell International has re-invented its corporate strategy in line with principles of sustainable development and it has committed itself to a level of stakeholder engagement on its environmental and social performance which would have been unthinkable in 1995. So for Shell, a return to Ogoni would be a powerful symbol that their corporate commitment to being a socially responsible company is being translated into action on the ground. However, there is still little trust between the company and the Ogoni people and their representative organization, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Many of the issues raised by the Ogoni (such as the need for locally sustainable development, distribution of oil wealth, community projects and environmental issues) have yet to be addressed. This paper is the first of a trilogy examining the issues, relationships, management and strategic implications of the case. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

MNC Reporting on CSR and Conflict in Central Africa

“…A recent study on MNCs in Nigeria found that CSR activities concentrated on the locations where companies had operations, with a variety of themes being covered, such as health care, manpower development, capacity building, sports and education, and infrastructure development (Ojo, 2008). Also interesting was the conclusion that CSR activities undertaken by companies in Nigeria follow a rather philanthropic model which corroborates other studies' findings on Shell community investment projects (Boele et al, 2001;Idemudia and Ite 2006;Idemudia, 2008;Ite, 2004;Ite, 2005;Wheeler et al, 2002).…”

“…Publications on Nigeria focus on the relation between local communities, such as the Ogoni people, and oil MNCs such as Shell (Boele et al, 2001;Eweje, 2006;Ite, 2007;Wheeler et al, 2002), while in South Africa, most attention is paid to business ethics as well as the emergence of CSR in the post-apartheid setting (Hamann et al, 2005;Visser, 2006a). This paper responds to Visser's (2006a) call for more studies on Africa, and particularly on other topics and other countries than those that have received attention so far.…”

“…Visser (2006b) argued that the economic responsibilities of MNCs in Africa should be at the core of their CSR priorities, followed by philanthropic, legal and ethical responsibilities. The second place attributed to philanthropy is somewhat surprising given the criticism directed at MNCs' CSR activities based on the philanthropic model (Boele et al, 2001;Wheeler et al, 2002;Ite, 2004;Ite, 2005;Idemudia and Ite, 2006;Idemudia, 2008). As much of FDI in Africa is in the extractive industries with well-documented negative environmental and social impacts, it may be more important to know how these implications are taken into account than pure philantropic efforts (Hamann and Kapelus, 2004;Ite, 2006;Newell and Frynas, 2007).…”

The gendered construction of reparations: an exploration of women’s exclusion from the Niger Delta reintegration processes

“…The agitation for the protection of environmental rights dominated the Niger Delta struggle in the 1980s. This was championed by the Ogoni people (Atofarati, 1992;Boele et al, 2001). In 1997, River State was created and Ijaw ceased to be part of the Eastern Nigeria.…”

Addressing Environmental Health Problems in Ogoniland through Implementation of United Nations Environment Program Recommendations: Environmental Management Strategies

“…The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), estimates that well above 4000 oil spills, resulting in the emission of millions of barrels of crude oil into various surface water sources, including creeks, streams and rivers have occurred in the Niger Delta from as far back as 1960 [57]. To date, water pollution remains one of the major environmental public health problems arising from extensive oil operations in the region.…”