“Indigenes of Bodo village in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria have rejected a settlement offer from Royal Dutch Shell, for the oil spillage that has left the community without a meaningful source of livelihood.
Shell, a leading oil exploration company in Nigeria, offered members of the Bodo community, estimated to be around 15,000, a N7.5 billion ($46.3 million) settlement deal for a pipeline spillage it took major responsibility for.
However, much to the frustration of the international oil firm, its efforts to prevent the situation from escalating is proving fruitless as its offer was on friday rebuffed by the host community.
“We haven’t reached [an] agreement on compensation, which is disappointing,” a spokesman for Shell’s Nigeria unit said, adding that the clean up progress for the spills have been on a progressive path.
Members of the community, who are mainly fisherman and farmers claim the offer is insulting and disrespectful given their losses – under the settlement, each individual will pocket $1,700.
“The whole week has been deeply disappointing,” said Martyn Day of Leigh Day, the British law firm representing the villagers. . .”
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