Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has lauded the recent report by Amnesty International, which further traced the persistent wide spread oil spill in the Niger Delta region to the activities of the international oil companies, especially Shell, which it accused of manipulating and misleading the country on the extent of its negligence.
Uduaghan, in a statement in Asaba on Monday, commended the report, which he said confirmed what had been known about the real source of spills that had damaged the region and impoverishing the people.
The governor said, “The painstaking investigation by Amnesty International, which linked the major oil spills in the region to the international oil companies, in this regard to Shell, has given a lie to the claims by Shell that it is third party interference that is the source of oil spill, is heartwarming.
“Over the years, I have spoken on the quality of infrastructure from the IOCs, which, after many years of use, has declined in standard and are not being replaced. But instead of addressing these issues, Shell in this case, and other IOCs, have sought to deflect public opinion and attention by blaming oil thieves and other third party interferences as sabotaging its pipeline.
“Now from this latest report, it is further clear that indeed what the oil companies are running away from are investing in infrastructure upgrade and compensation to communities, whose economic, social and physical existence are gravely threatened by continuous despoliation of their environment.
“Enough is enough. This is the time for Shell and others to step forward and accept responsibility for their failures. I want to also call upon the regulatory agencies in the country to be more assertive in carrying out their duties of monitoring the operations of the oil companies.”
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