SEO Riders:
– CSOs and legal advocates demand divestment hold until environmental liabilities addressed.
– House of Reps and king fight for cleanup fund and community consultation.
– Pressure mounts on government to enforce regulatory oversight before asset sale.
A coalition of Bayelsa traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and legal experts has formally supported a lawsuit challenging Shell’s proposed divestment from its onshore assets in Bayelsa State. The plaintiffs are calling for an immediate halt to the divestment, warning that Shell and its proposed buyer, Renaissance African Energy, have not addressed the region’s severe environmental and social damage, such as contaminated water, soil infertility, and health emergencies. Civil society groups—including CISLAC, HEDA, Social Action, and the Ijaw Elders Forum—have submitted petitions backed by thousands of signatures, urging the Federal Government and NUPRC to demand full cleanup, transparent community consultations, and the establishment of an Environmental Restoration Fund before any transaction proceeds.
The House of Representatives has also passed a resolution directing regulators to halt all IOC divestments—Shell and TotalEnergies included—until historical liabilities are resolved, citing UNEP and Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission assessments that estimate cleanup costs could reach $12–100 billion. Legal advocates stress that divestment without enforceable remediation frameworks would transfer regulatory burden to Nigeria and exacerbate the Niger Delta’s pollution legacy. They call for enhanced regulatory scrutiny under the Petroleum Industry Act, insisting new operators must demonstrate both technical capacity and financial backing for cleanup before any assets are sold.
