In a viral video which is circulating on social media, a climate justice activist, Mikaela Loach, challenged Shell PLc and its leadership during a sha
In a viral video which is circulating on social media, a climate justice activist, Mikaela Loach, challenged Shell PLc and its leadership during a shareholders’ meeting, holding the oil giant accountable for the environmental and human impact of its operations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
In the video, Loach, known for her advocacy, did not mince words as she addressed the company’s representatives.
“On account of your fuel production in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, the life expectancy there is currently only between 41 and 46 years of age. That’s younger than most of the people who are in this room today,” she stated.
Loach’s remarks noted the consequences of Shell’s activities in the region.
“In the 70 years when you made stupendous profits for your shareholders, you transformed the Niger Delta into the most polluted place on earth and its people among the poorest and most poisoned,” she said.
According to a report by ISS Africa in 2022, “The Niger Delta in southern Nigeria is one of the most polluted places on Earth.”
Referencing scientific reports, including those from the United Nations Environment Program, Loach accused Shell of complicity in the continuous flaring of gas at 178 flare-points across the Niger Delta, emitting millions of tons of CO2 yearly and poisoning over 40 million people with cancer and other respiratory illnesses.
“Several reputable studies have established that methane, carbon dioxide, and other chemicals from flare gas poison people with cancer, respiratory illnesses, birth defects, and diseases of the skin,” Loach added.
Loach’s speech took a personal turn as she shared a story of a friend whose community’s water source had been contaminated by crude oil for three years due to a ruptured Shell pipeline.
“In one year alone, our friend unexpectedly lost his sister, his father, and his baby niece,” she said.
Loach further stated, “For years, you have pushed back against the legal case from the Ogale and Bille communities against you for decades and decades of pollution. The Ogalle and Bille communities are one of hundreds of communities whose livelihoods have been devastated by Shell and who are now suing Shell this year in the UK courts for violation of their health and their right to health and a clean environment.
“This case coincides with you selling off your onshore oil assets to shadow consortiums that were conveniently only set up recently now the case can be heard in the UK courts.
“We know that you’re rushing to sell off your assets and to avoid accountability. You’re attempting to walk away from seven decades of reckless oil extraction and its attendant ecological health and livelihood impacts. As you always have, you’re attempting to avoid justice and reparations,” she alleged.
In the video, as Loach’s allotted time came to an end, she refused to be silenced, stating, “We will not let you get away with the destruction of our communities. People across the world are rising up against the Delta and against Shell. Your days of profiting from destroying our lives are numbered.”
Meanwhile, the Board Committee Membership Chair of the Nomination and Succession Committee at Shell, Sir Andrew Mackenzie, attempted to intervene, but Loach persisted, demanding answers on “who would clean up nearly 70 years’ worth of oil spills and gas flaring, fix the health of indigenous people, and restore their livelihoods.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Loach took to social media platform, X, revealing that her direct messages were flooded with Nigerians thanking her for her advocacy.
“After challenging Shell’s CEO about their crimes in the Niger Delta, my DMs are full of Nigerians thanking me. I took a DNA test recently to find out where my enslaved ancestors were kidnapped from, it said they were mostly Nigerian. I’m glad I’ve made those ancestors proud,” she wrote.
In January 2024, Shell Plc said it “reached an agreement to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited.”
The SPDC is to be sold to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies comprising four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria and an international energy group for $2.4 billion.
However, Shell said the completion of the transaction is subject to approvals by the Federal Government of Nigeria and other conditions.
In a statement on its website, it was disclosed that the transaction had been designed to preserve the full range of SPDC’s operating capabilities following the change of ownership.
