By Festus Ahon

UGHELLI-NATIONAL President of the Niger Delta Youth Movement, NDYM, Mr. Godspower Odenema, yesterday, urged the Federal Government and the international community to call Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, to order over its insistence on selling some of its oil wells in the Niger Delta region.

Odenema, in a statement, alleged that part of the crisis in the region was due to the insensitivity and ridiculous exploitation of the region by Shell.

Meanwhile, Shell said it began engaging stakeholders on the divestment issue in May 2011, describing the sales allegation as false.

Odenema said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we want to state that much of the crisis in the Niger Delta can be traced to the insensitivity and crass exploitation, which had become the hallmark of Shell.

“We caution Shell against the sale of the oil wells and want them to halt same with immediate effect.

Since the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta, Shell had been antithetical to the well being of the good people of the region. We are all aware of the gory holocaust which Shell visited on the region.

“Shell had always acted in flagrant disregard to Nigerian laws and universally accepted regulations guiding oil exploitation and exploration.

“The present itch to sell the oil wells without recourse to the people who own the land where these wells are located grossly violates the Nigerian Content Development Act of 2010.”