Polluted Promises: how Shell failed to clean up Ogoniland

Shell is responsible for a toxic legacy in the Niger Delta. People are dying, sick, can’t feed themselves and have no clean water because Shell destroyed their environment by drilling for oil.

UNEP researched the destruction, publishing a report in 2011. The report concluded that Shell had not taken sufficient action to clean up and set out initial steps to rectify the damage.

Platform’s research in Ogoniland shows that Shell has still not cleaned up, almost 3 years after the UNEP report was published.

Platform witnessed creeks and soil reeking of oil, in areas that Shell claims to have remediated. Communities report oil crusts on their land, rotten crops and poisoned fish. Emergency water supplies have not been delivered, forcing local residents to drink oil-polluted water.

This remains the case because the company is ignoring the UNEP recommendations, saving money at the expense of Nigerian lives.
In the build-up to the 20th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his 8 Ogoni colleagues, people in Ogoniland are demanding that Shell clean up and end this toxic legacy.