Shell agrees $84m deal over Niger Delta oil spill

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to a $84m (£55m) settlement with residents of the Bodo community in the Niger Delta for two oil spills.

Lawyers for 15,600 Nigerian fishermen say their clients will receive $3,300 each for losses caused by the spills.

The remaining $30m will be left for the community, which law firm Leigh Day says was "devastated by the two massive oil spills in 2008 and 2009".

They say they affected thousands of hectares of mangrove in south Nigeria.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-30699787

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Not that generous, when you look at how many people were affected, but at least there's a precedent that oil companies can be held to account in British law for what happens in Africa.

[Dustlawyer]

1. That's nothing to the oil company, nothing! Those people will have oil there for the next 50 years

or more!

[Eugene]

2. Shell's original offer was only $6,000.

Source: Associated Press

Shell says it always wanted to compensate the people of Bodo fairly. But the company originally offered the entire community just 4,000 pounds ($6,000).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/11721057

[Sunlei]

3. 3,300 for each of 15,600 people plus 30 million for the community must make the people happy

I hope they can rebuild the community on some fairly close clean land!