Nigerian youth: Shell needs better spin
It was probably the most comprehensive discussion of Royal Shell’s operations in Nigeria in recent years. On Wednesday Dutch parliamentarians questioned oil giant Shell about the environmental impact of its activities. For a Nigerian perspective on the event, Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s Africa Desk invited two young Nigerians to attend and to comment on what they heard.
Sitting in the packed, silent public tribune Akinyinka Akinyoade, a researcher at the Africa Studies Centre in Leiden, heard Shell officials fend off repeated criticism about the company’s failure to clean up leaked oil and lack of transparency.
Akinyoade seemed almost surprised to see Shell come out to defend their record of providing public infrastructure like electricity, roads, schools and hospitals in Nigeria.
More positive spin
“We’ve always been hearing of Shell in negative news. Now the Shell officials have the opportunity to give their side of the story”, he says. “Shell's attitude has been that it does not need to advertise its good works. Yet, the way other stakeholders magnify out of proportion any negative aspect of Shell's operations, stays more in public eye." Akinyoade feels that the oil company should improve its public relations strategy and inform the public about what it does in Nigeria.
The hearing, however, did not change Akinyoade’s or fellow Nigerian Charles Nweke’s perception of the environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region where Shell extracts oil.
Objective
Nweke, a blogger in the Netherlands, grew up in that oil rich region. He was impressed with the questioning by Dutch members of parliament which he qualified as objective. A recurring query by lawmakers was whether the Dutch government should put more pressure on Shell to improve its environmental record there.
“I’m really amazed. This is a step in the right direction, but a bit late, 50 years down the line. If this kind of pressure we heard had been put on Shell before, maybe we wouldn’t be sitting here hearing about oil spills and the loss of livelihoods of people in the delta would not have taken place.”
Embarrassed
Another hot topic at the hearing was the level of corruption in Nigeria. Nweke: “It’s very, very embarrassing to me as a Nigerian, but they’re not saying anything new. It’s something we all knew about. It’s something we all wish will end. I’m happy that everybody has come to realise that a lot needs to be done to fight corruption in Nigeria.”
Could the parliament of Nigeria hold a similar hearing, we asked the two Nigerians? Nweke doubts whether there would be sufficient political will to carry it out. Akinyoade thinks it would be possible, if well structured, with a clear agenda. He says it would shed a new light on the public image of Shell in Nigeria.
“Shell has been engaged in positive activities to remedy some of the allegations; and whether it is enough or not is another story but at least it will put a positive spin to their image. Shell must self-reflect by asking why other oil companies in Nigeria are not barraged with negative publicity as Shell has. Shell can do better.”
Arm-twist
Both hope that the Dutch government will put some form of pressure on Shell to clean up the environment in the Delta.
[related-articles]“It’s time to act”, Akinyoade says. “It must not end here. We want to see how the parliamentarians will discuss this further to put Dutch government in a stronger position to persuade, assist, or arm-twist Shell where necessary, so as to improve their operations in Nigeria.”
"We must remember that in Nigeria when people think of Shell, they think of Holland in general."