Agreement reached on hostages’ release

The international oil company Royal Dutch/Shell told IRIN on Thursday that agreement had been reached with militant youths to release some 165 oil workers being held hostage on two rigs in the Niger Delta. “An agreement was reached yesterday and we anticipate that they will vacate the rigs today,” a company spokesman said. The Shell employees have been unable to move from their rigs since Monday, when about 40 youths arrived in eight boats and took them captive. No injuries were reported during the incident. “All the rig personnel are safe and the situation in and around the rig is calm,” the Shell spokesman said. Those held include some 145 Nigerians and 20 expatriates including US, British, Australian and Lebanese nationals. A follow-up meeting with members of the local community, to discuss the youths’ demand of immediate employment with the contractors providing security and catering services to the oil company, will take place on 15 August, Shell said. Communities in the Niger Delta, where the oil that generates most of Nigeria’s revenue is mined, say they have not benefited from its wealth. President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose election last year ended more than 15 years of corrupt military rule, promised to redress the long years of neglect and degradation the region has suffered. However, after waiting over a year for the implementation of a bill creating his Niger Delta Development Commission, projected to kick start development in the area, many in the region are further disenchanted as they continue to suffer the effects of poverty and unemployment.