Parliamentarians vs Shell on causes of poverty in Niger Delta

A nine-member parliamentary committee on the Niger Delta has blamed the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for "doing only a little to develop the (oil-producing) communities" in the area, 'The Guardian' reported on Thursday.

The committee is on an information-gathering tour of the states of Delta, Edo and Ondo. Speaking on its behalf, one of its members, Halims John Agoda, said Shell should go beyond the mere setting up of six-classroom blocks in these communities" and contribute more to the development of people in the oil-producing areas.

However, a Shell external relations manager, Frank Efeduma, denied that the SPDC was only building classrooms. He said most of the problems in the Delta were caused by past military regimes. Moreover, traditional rulers collected money for projects they did not complete.

The situation is compounded by new factors such as the abundance of "highly trained youths with sophisticated weapons" and the emergence of thugs, pirates and hostage-takers, 'The Guardian' reported.