…Allege breach of business ethics, sabotage of company’s interest in Nigeria
Ben van Beurden, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell
Chuks Isiwu & Mkpoikana Udoma
Lagos/Port Harcourt — As the crisis over the shutdown of the Oil Mining Lease, OML, 25 flow-station and gas plant operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, continues, the people of Ogoni have written the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Mr. Ben van Beurden, demanding the sack of the Managing Director of SPDC and country Chair, Shell companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor.
In addition to the managing director, the Ogoni are demanding that the SPDC’s External Relations Manager, Mr. Igo Weli, be relieved of his duties. They accused both of alleged breach of business ethics and sabotage of the company’s interest in Nigeria, with respect to the controversy surrounding OML 25.
In the letter sent to Mr. Van Beurden in The Hague, The Netherlands headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell, the Conscience of Ogoni People, COOP, is requesting the global Shell to launch an independent investigation on SPDC, especially as it concerned an alleged bribing by the Nigerian subsidiary of the Rivers State Government with $1 billion meant for the development of OML 25 host communities.
The letter dated August 14, 2019, and made available to SweetcrudeReports by the National Coordinator of COOP, Chief Gani Topba, read in parts: “We wish to draw your attention to the activities of SPDC in Nigeria with respect to the current face-off between SPDC and OML 25 host communities, which if not urgently and properly handled, is capable of degenerating into a far worse crisis than the Ogoni-SPDC conflict, thereby jeopardising the interest and corporate image of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (hereinafter RDS Plc) both in Nigeria and globally.
“You will recall that SPDC as operator of OML25 was declared persona non grata by the OML25 host communities of Belema, Offoin-Ama and Ngeje communities as well as the Oko Family in 2017 over SPDC’s unilateral and fraudulent attempt to divest its interest in OML 25 to a foreign company in which the Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, the General Manager External Relations, Mr. Igo Weli and the Governor of Rivers State have substantial interest contrary to RDS Plc’s Code of Business Ethics, Nigerian law and international law.
“You may recall that SPDC had earlier divested its participating interests in OMLs 18, 24 and 29 also situated within the aforementioned host communities to foreign companies, leaving the host communities to live with the 40-year-old accumulated environmental pollution caused by SPDC’s bad oilfield practice.
“Sadly, SPDC flagrantly failed to comply with Nigerian law on divestment of interest to indigenous companies and insisted on going ahead with divestment to a foreign company. It was the failure to secure the host communities’ co-operation and desperation to divest at all cost that led to SPDC’s latest move to involve the Government of Rivers State, using bribe as a bait to rope the State Government in the shady and reprehensible deal.
“Credible intelligence at the disposal of COOP reveals that Mr. Osagie Okunbor and Mr. Igo Weli, since May-July 2019, struck a lucrative deal with the Government of Rivers State under which SPDC offered and paid to the Government of Rivers State bribe of $1 billion diverted from accumulated development fund meant for the host communities of OML25 under SPDC’s Global Memorandum of Understanding.
“As you should be already aware, bribery of foreign public officials by multinationals is a serious offence under the various international anti-corruption instruments to which The Netherlands (RDS’ home State) and Nigeria (RDS’ subsidiary’s host State) are parties.”
The Conscience of Ogoni People also alleged that the actions of SPDC were contrary to core values of the Royal Dutch Shell, which according to the group, are honesty. Integrity and respect for people, saying that the management of SPDC in Nigeria does not represent RDS in good light but as irresponsible and dishonest corporate citizens.
It said SPDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility in host communities in Nigeria and in particular OML25 communities, were not only false but deliberate misinformation, emphasising that SPDC’s environmental protection record in OML25 host communities was very poor.
“We believe you know the weight of their offences under both Nigerian and Dutch law. Already, we have written to the Nigerian anti-graft agencies to initiate comprehensive investigation into the bribery scandal involving SPDC in Nigeria. We shall also write to the Dutch authorities to investigate the bribery scandal with a view to bringing the culprits to book.
“COOP is concerned that the activities of SPDC under the watch of Mr. Osagie Okunbor and Mr. Igo Weli in Belema, Offoin-Ama and Ngeje communities as well as the Oko Family is badly affecting the global reach and reputation of RDS Plc, and if not addressed will have the effect of escalating restiveness, tension and bloodbath in the communities which may escalate to the entire Niger Delta region, leading to the total eviction of SPDC from the entire region.
“Against the background of the damage Mr. Osagie Okunbor and Mr. Igo Weli have caused to the RDS brand, we urge you to sack the duo for paying bribe of US$1 billion to the Rivers State Government contrary to Nigerian anti-corruption laws and for portraying the RDS Group as a bad corporate citizen as well as gross incompetence in handling of OML 25 and other Niger Delta crises.
“We expect you to take swift action on this complaint. We have alerted Amnesty International, the International Criminal Court, friends of Ogoni international, the Niger Delta people and men of goodwill all over the world to hold RDS Plc and SPDC responsible should any harm come to the people of OML25 host communities who are peacefully occupying the oil facility in the assertion of their legitimate rights,” the letter further said.
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