Royal Dutch/Shell Case

ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL CASE

1.Does Shell bear some responsibility for the problems in the Ogoni region of Nigeria?

I believe Shell bears much responsibility for the problems in the Ogoni region. One reason is the fact that Shell has received nearly $30 billion worth of oil from the Ogoni land but has not helped the Ogoni people by providing them with jobs or money to develop their lands. If Shell had provided money to the Ogoni people they could have built schools and provided health care that would help the them get their feet on the ground and potentially give them some power.

Another reason Shell is responsible is because they destroyed much of the land in this region. This occurred through numerous oil spills that contaminated the soil and groundwater in the region. Even a spokesman at Shell admitted to them being at fault for this.

A third reason Shell is responsible for the problems in this area is because they were the causing the conflict between the Ogoni people and the government.

English: I accuse the oil companies... When I firs...

This image depicts an aircraft of the United State...

English: Royal Dutch Shell head office, Carel van ...

The Ogoni people were fed up with Shell destroying their land that, they believe, the government was responsible for stopping. Because of this the Ogoni people protested against the government plus Shell.

A fourth reason Shell is responsible for the problems is because Shell would complain to the government about the Ogoni peoples protests and how it was halting their operations. Because of this the government would shoot at the crowds of protestors. These events caused hundreds of protestors to die.

In conclusion, it is fair to say that Shell was very much responsible for all of the problems caused in the Ogoni region. This includes, to an extent, the execution of Saro-Wiwa and his associates. This is because Shell only used discreet diplomacy to...