Nigerian agency ‘failed completely’ to clean up oil damage despite funding, leaked files say

As it passed above the Niger Delta in 2021, a satellite took an image. Previously unreported investigations, emails, letters to Nigerian ministers and minutes from meetings make clear that senior U.N. officials were increasingly concerned that the Nigerian agency in charge of cleaning up crude oil spills has been a “total failure.” The agency, known as Hyprep, selected cleanup contractors who had no relevant experience, according to a U.N. review. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print People gather near an oil spill in the Niger Delta in village of Ogboinbiri, Nigeria, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. The head of operations when the contract was awarded, Philip Shekwolo, called allegations in the U.N. documents “baseless, mischievous and cheap blackmail.” Shekwolo, who used to head up oil spill remediation for Shell, said by email he knows more about tackling pollution than any U.N. expert and insists the cleanup has been successful. In the minutes of a meeting with U.N. officials and Shell, Hyprep’s own chief of communications, Joseph Kpobari, is shown to have said bad cleanups happen because his agency hired incompetent companies.