…Threatens Nationwide Protests Across Oil Installations in Delta, Bayelsa
A Niger Delta advocacy group, the Peace Development, Security and Humanitarian Rights Association of Niger Deltans, has issued a 21-day ultimatum to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO), demanding immediate compensation of $3.6 billion over the 2011 Bonga oil spill.
In a letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also sent to the National Security Adviser and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the association called for urgent federal intervention to prevent a potential crisis in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.
The letter, which was signed by Comrade Mike J.K. Tiemo (President), Comrade Wilson M. Vwerhokor (Secretary-General), Comrade Graham Abulu (Logistics/National Mobilization Officer), and two other executive members, decried the continued neglect of affected communities and described it as a violation of environmental justice and humanitarian rights.
The spill, which occurred on December 20, 2011, reportedly released over 40,000 barrels of crude oil into the Atlantic Ocean from Shell’s Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility. The disaster is considered one of Nigeria’s worst offshore oil spills, leaving a trail of environmental destruction, devastated fishing communities, and widespread poverty.
“Fourteen years later, our people are still suffering. Our fishing grounds are poisoned, our livelihoods have been destroyed, and many communities remain in economic despair,” the group stated in the letter.
According to the association, the patience of the affected communities has worn thin. They warned that failure to address their demands within the stipulated 21 days could lead to large-scale protests and disruption of oil operations across Delta and Bayelsa States.
Analysts have raised concerns that even the threat of mass action in critical oil-producing areas could destabilize the sector, cause production setbacks, and shake investor confidence—outcomes that would further pressure Nigeria’s already struggling economy, which is grappling with high inflation, currency devaluation, and dwindling foreign reserves.
With tensions mounting, the group’s ultimatum may mark a turning point in the long-standing agitation for justice in the Niger Delta. If not urgently addressed, the standoff could trigger fresh instability in the region and pose serious risks to national economic stability.
About the Author
