MEND Accuse Shell Of Sponsoring UN Report On Niger Delta

Times of Nigeria

12 August 2011

MEND Accuse Shell Of Sponsoring UN Report On Niger Delta

Nigerian rebel group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has accused oil giant, Shell Petroleum of sponsoring the United Nations report on environmental degradation of Niger Delta.

In a statement sent to Thetimesofnigeria.com by the group’s spokesman Jomo Gbomo, MEND said:

“The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) views the shell petroleum sponsored, U.N report on the degradation of the environment of the Niger delta and its inhabitants by the deliberately irresponsible activities of western oil companies as a pathetic attempt  at trivializing the wave of destruction wrought on the ecology of the Niger delta, the lifestyle and dignity of its people by criminal oil companies occupying the Niger delta forcibly for the sole purpose of plundering the resources of its people.

“In accepting the results of the dubious “investigation” Goodluck Jonathan has again proven himself to be complicit, powerless or simply the village idiot of the Niger delta. All this drama is an attempt to reclaim Ogoniland for shell.

“The Ogoniland forms a minuscule past of the Niger delta and reckless exploitation of the resources of the delta is widespread. It will take centuries for the ecology of the Niger Delta to near restoration while its people remain scarred. This will cost hundreds of billions of us dollars; after all how much did just one spillage in the United States cost British petroleum? The ecology of the Niger Delta has persistently borne the brunt of numerous spillages of catastrophic proportions yet our moron of a president has the audacity to publicly embrace the levity with which the concerns of the people of the Niger Delta are treated by western oil companies.

“The traditional sources of livelihood of the people of this region; fishing and farming have been obliterated by the activities of western oil companies. Young men of the Niger Delta are reduced to menial labourers while their sisters attend to the concupiscence of expatriate workers just for food and daily survival.

“We are not deceived by shell’s pretence of concern and MEND, forewarns all oil companies in Nigeria of the battle that is to come. Shell and its counterparts in the oil industry should not waste their booty on irrelevant studies of an environment they chose to destroy.

“Oil companies in Nigeria should save as much as they can for the days of darkness which are not afar.”