By Emeka Ugwuanyi
A total of $142.5 million was paid to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) last year by The Shell Petroleum Development of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo). SPDC paid $112.5 million while SNEPCo remitted $30 million compared to $59.04 million by SPDC and $20.73 by SNEPCo in 2022.
A statement by Communications, Media and NGO Relations Manager, Bamidele Odugbesan, explained that the contributions came from the Shell companies on behalf of themselves and their respective partners – Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC); TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited; NAOC; and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited – as statutory contributions to the interventionist agency.
“Our support for NDDC is part of our aspirations for the development of the Niger Delta which has also seen a wide range of social investments, including health and education,” SPDC Director and Country Head, Corporate Relations Igo Weli said. “With the continuous support of our partners, we will continue to discharge our obligations to communities through statutory payments to agencies and projects executed in partnership with stakeholders.”
Shell Companies in Nigeria have supported community development programmes in the country since the 1960s, benefitting many Nigerians.
Support for education has led to the award of more than 3,450 secondary school grants, 3,772 university grants and 1,062 cradle-to-career scholarship grants since 2016.
Another investment has seen the introduction of the Health-in-Motion programme, providing free medical services directly to communities. Over one million individuals have benefited from the programme since its inception in the early 2000s. Also, the global Shell LiveWIRE entrepreneurship programme supported 73 businesses through training and mentorship programmes leading to 97 employment opportunities for Nigerians.
Meanwhile, NDDC levy is levy which imposes a three percent charge on the total annual budget of oil producing (including gas processing) companies operating in the Niger-Delta region.
