Shell Strikes Out
Oil is a commodity which we all take for granted and come into contact with on a daily basis. Yet the companies who are controlling the supply of this resource are not always doing the best job they can in ensuring safety and environmental standards are met. Oil is not dirty – it is how it is treated by some companies that make it dirty. Shell is the latest company to come under scrutiny.
A news item reported in The Guardian online just two days ago illustrates how much farther there is to go in convincing people that oil is and can be safe. As always it is the way the substance is treated by man that causes the problems. With BP still reeling from international condemnation from last year’s spill off the Gulf of Mexico, oil giants seem eager to incite hatred against them with the latest news from Nigeria.
For the past 50 years Shell has been drilling in and around the area known as Goi, 40 miles from the port of Harcourt in Nigeria. Due to some lax regulation from the Nigerian authorities, drilling and environmental concerns have not been taken as seriously as they should have been by the oil giant. Goi itself is now uninhabitable following a number of spills over the years that have been quietly swept under the carpet amongst the international community. It is only now thanks to the power of the internet, things like worldsim cards have become readily available in Nigeria enabling people previously without a louder voice to communicate effectively with the rest of the world.
Shell is currently facing a law suit in The Hague thanks to Goi resident and Deacon Barrisa Tete Dooh. Dooh has galvanised the former residents of Goi into action and whether or not their case is successful is almost a moot point. The publicity they hope to generate should be enough to make the world stand up and pay attention. The worst thing about the case is that Shell is another high profile provider of oil that can ill afford to annoy the people that rely on it.
It is difficult to say whether or not Shell is solely responsible for the Goi spills and subsequent move of its inhabitants. However as a well known oil giant living through a time where public outrage at oil spills, banks and much more is at fever pitch, Shell needs to be seen to be setting a good example. If it is found guilty in The Hague, perhaps it will encourage other oil companies to step up and take the lead in changing out-dated and environmentally unsound operating practises. Profit may be the defining factor on the balance sheet for Shell, but the costs they will incur from the trial and the potential damages involved could be the thing to force the top executives to take note and clean up their act.
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