Initial Assessment Odoh Family vs the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd.

The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) has accepted the notification of the Odoh Family regarding alleged violations of the OECD Guidelines by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC).

The notification regards alleged violations of the OECD Guidelines’ chapters Human Rights, Environment, Concepts and Principle and General Policies. The notifying party claims that SPDC did not act in line with local laws and regulation regarding the acquisition of land and water, the Odoh family was not adequately engaged in the acquisition process, the right to property and use of land and water has been compromised and the Odoh family has also indicated that oil spills have led to a negative impact on their livelihood as e.g. fishery was no longer possible.

The NCP is of the opinion that the notification merits further consideration and has offered its good offices to both parties. The enterprise has rejected the NCP’s good offices. The NCP will further examine the specific instance and publish its finding in the Final Statement.

Although Shell Headquarters moved to the United Kingdom on 31 December 2021, the British and Dutch NCP have decided that the Dutch NCP will proceed and finalize this notification.