Nigeria is working to revive oil production in the environmentally fragile Niger Delta after Shell’s exit from onshore operations.
Shell recently sold its onshore business in Nigeria for $2.4 billion to local companies, marking the end of nearly a century of operations.
The sale, confirmed last week by Nigeria’s presidential energy advisor, Olu Verheijen, follows years of environmental concerns and legal disputes over pollution.
Authorities are now in discussions with communities in Ogoniland, a region where Shell ceased operations in 1993 after violent protests erupted.
The government views restarting oil production as a crucial step to boosting foreign exchange earnings in Africa’s largest economy.
“There is broad consensus in Ogoni that production should resume,” said Ledum Mitee, a veteran environmental activist and former president of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People.
Western oil giants, including ExxonMobil, Eni, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, have been withdrawing from Nigeria’s onshore oil sector in recent years.
These companies are shifting their focus offshore, reducing their exposure to the environmental and security risks that have plagued the Delta region.
Shell’s sale was delayed after activist groups, including Amnesty International and the Dutch nonprofit SOMO, demanded the company clean up pollution first.
