Shell Nigeria has been ordered to pay $11.5 billion (N1.8 trillion) fine for the 2011 Bonga Oil spill incident which devastated the communities in the Niger Delta area.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the National Oil Spill Response and Emergency Agency, NOSREA, are the two agencies of the Federal Government which imposed the fines.
Patrick Akpobolokemi, Director General, NIMASA said the agency calculated a total of $6.5 billion to be paid as compensation whilst the Director General of NOSREA, Mr. Peter Idabo calculated a fine of $5 billion.
DG, NIMASA condemned the attitude of Shell towards the spill describing it as nonchalant and called on the organization to take responsibility.
He said: “The kind of impunity Shell and its allies have demonstrated so far in the Niger Delta area in the past must stop if the future of the people of Nigeria and the environment are to be protected.
“And in other climes when spills like this occur, the first thing is remuneration, attention to the affected communities and finding ways of reducing the suffering of the people and restoring the eco-system, but Shell fell short of all these criteria and of course, it is sad that it is only in Nigeria that we can witness this degree of impunity.”