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Unpicking Nigeria’s new draft oil law
This guest blog was written by Jeremy Weate. He runs Naijablog and is on twitter. Over the past few years, Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has acquired a mythic, if not theological framing. It’s as if the document, once gazetted, will provide a final judgement on the direction of reform of the sector. No matter the…
25 Jul 2012 admin -
Tangled up in US cables: an intern’s view
This post was written by Platform intern, Pip Brown. Back in October 2011, I gladly accepted the task of working together with Platform researchers and sifting through the US Embassy cables to find information on oil and conflict in the Niger Delta. How many could there be? I typed the words “Shell” and “Nigeria”…
5 Jul 2012 admin -
EU announces Arctic policy, but what does it mean?
Yesterday (3rd July) the European Commission published a document outlining its policy position on the Arctic region. Alarmingly, one of the action priorities listed in the press release is "Promotion and development of environmentally friendly technologies that could be used by extractive industries in the Arctic". In the Communication full text (p9) they add: In…
4 Jul 2012 anna -
Tullow Oil’s foul play in Ghana
Sunderland FC’s controversial sponsorship deal with a Tullow Oil front group was featured in today’s Independent: There are growing concerns surrounding the suitability of Sunderland's new sponsor, Invest in Africa, amid claims from the oil watchdog Platform that the initiative's founding partner, Tullow Oil, is responsible for damaging business practices on the continent. Tullow…
28 Jun 2012 admin -
Blowing the whistle on Sunderland AFC’s oil sponsorship deal
At Platform we’ve been very focused on looking at how oil companies use cultural institutions to plaster over their controversial operations, but just yesterday a UK-based oil company moved into the sports sector. The Guardian reported that Premier League Sunderland AFC had secured “pioneering African sponsorship” with Invest in Africa. The article makes Invest In…
26 Jun 2012 admin -
Breaking: Oil giant Shell may face fresh wave of oil spill claims
In this summary of the historic first hearing in Bodo v Shell, Platform reveals that a growing wave of oil spill claims could be on the horizon, exposing the oil giant to major financial liabilities. Shell showed little sign of remorse at its first appearance before a UK court after causing “devastating” oil spills in…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Shell in the dock over major oil spills in Nigeria
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Shell will appear in the High Court in London today to be held accountable for its oil spills in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Over 11,000 Nigerians from Bodo town in the Ogoni region of the Delta are suing Shell over the environmental damage caused by two devastating oil spills in…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Bodo v Shell court documents
Here are the documents filed for the claimants in the landmark lawsuit Bodo v Shell. The case has its first hearing at the High Court in London today. Shell has admitted liability for two major oil spills in Bodo town, Rivers State, Nigeria in 2008 and 2009. Over three years on, Shell has failed to clean…
18 Jun 2012 admin -
Nazim Hikmet: “The Oil Road” meets “The Ballad of those who drink the Sun”
To mark Sunday’s performance of “The Ballad of Those tho Drink the Sun” celebrating the life and work of Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, Platform is publishing a book excerpt on Nazim Hikmet, poetry & technology, the Euphrates versus BP’s Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. This is an edited excerpt from our upcoming book “The Oil Road: A Journey…
16 Jun 2012 admin
