Ijaw youths from the Odioma community in Bayelsa state shut down a Shell Petroleum
Development Company (SPDC) oil flow station on January 7 to protest a breached
Memorandum of Understanding between the community and the company. The Memorandum
of Understanding, signed in 2000, stated that Shell would provide the community
with social infrastructure and employment opportunities, including services like
electricity, water, and roads. According to Shell, the Ijaw shut down the flow
station after a generator broke down, cutting off electricity to the community.
Farmers and fishermen from Odioma support the shut down, attributing damage to
the environment and the indigenous fishing industry to Shell’s presence.
