Nigeria’s Oil Spill Agency defends Shell over Amnesty International Report
The Chairman of the board of Nigeria Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Lancelot Anyanya, has said that the board is not aware of any manipulations by oil giant, Shell, in oil spill investigations as it doesn’t have any information to ascertain such claim.
Mr Anyanya debunked Amnesty International and Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development’s claim that the Federal Government is not doing enough to hold oil companies accountable.
“I understand there is an Amnesty report. I want to say that contrary to the assertion in that Amnesty report, that the Federal Government is not doing enough, is not the correct picture.”
He added that although the agency was commissioned in 2006, the Board, which would help the agency re-engineer and re-position itself, was recently composed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr Anyanya said: “we are in the early stages of our assignment. I do not have that information. I do not know the source of Amnesty’s report.”
“I cannot speak with specific facts as to whether Shell is manipulating reports or not. I am not inclined to comment on that at this point.
“I call on all stakeholders to come to the table of brotherhood to have a very honest conversation about how we can balance the imperative of what oil means to our economy.”
Anyanya also stated that the issue of oil spill was receiving more attention as a result of the attention it had been given by international organisations