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Oil
spillage: Senate asks Shell to pay N203b
compensation to Ijaw
By Chesa Chesa
NationalAssembly
Correspondent, Abuja
The Senate
onTuesday resolved to compel Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)
topay $1.5 billion (N203 billion)
as compensation for health, economic hardship and avoidable death to Ijawa borigines
of Bayelsa State.
The resolution followed
a motion sponsored by Senator Lee Maeba, along with Senators David Brigidi,
Rufus Spiff, John Brambaifa, James Manager and Martyns Yellowe, to the effect
that the same recommendations earlier presented to the House of Representatives
on February 24 2003, be adopted and implemented by the Senate.
The recommendations
were made to the lower chamber by a Legal Advisory Panel that found SPDC culpable
in inadequate compensation of Ijaw people in Bayelsa and environs in the
company�s 60 years of operation in the area.
The panel comprised
the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Bello, as chairman; Justice Kayode
Eso; Justice Nnaemeka Agu and Chief Rotimi Williams.
The recommendations
as adopted by the Senate states that:
�There commendations
of the Legal Advisory Panel on the Investigative Hearing of Petition by the
Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa State against Shell Petroleum Development Company
Limited (SPDC) as presented to the Federal House of Representatives on 24th
February 2003, be implemented.
�ShellPetroleum
Development Company Nigeria Limited (SPDC) should commence the payment of the sum
of USD$1.5 billion to the Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa State as compensation for
the severe health hazards, economic hardship, injurious affection, avoidable
deaths and sundry maladies. The petitioners have suffered as a direct or
indirect consequence of multiple spillages occurring in SPDC�s facilities which
span the entire eight local government areas of Bayelsa State since their
operations commenced in the area since 1956 on the following formulae: USD $1.5
billion payable forthwith, USD $500,000,000payable within five years period in
five equal installments of USD $100,000,000per annum commencing not later than
one year after the payment of the initial USD one billion aforementioned.�
The Senate further mandated
its committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Niger Delta to ensure
compliance by SPDC.
In moving the motion,
Senator Maeba, recalled that the Legal Advisory Panel had noted that from
uncontradicted evidence, there was no doubt that the Ijaw people had suffered
injuries, health problem, economic deprivation and avoidable deaths resulting
from multiple spillages at SPDC facilities in the area.
He added,�Whilst it
is true that SPDC paid compensation to the inhabitants in afew cases, this has
been computed at SPDC�s discretion withoutconsideration to the scope of the
spillage and the sustained effects ofsubjecting the petitioners to an
environment polluted by crude oileffluents.�
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Copyright�
2004. All Rights Reserved. Designed
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