Oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has described the move for the clean-up of Ogoni land as a demonstration of leadership by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The company, while promising to play its part in maintaining the momentum, however, rejected the allegation by international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, that its remediation method in Ogoni land is ineffective.

Amnesty International had claimed that the President’s initiative would fail and the Ogoni people would continue to suffer, as long as Shell fails to change its method of oil spill clean-up.

But in a statement, Shell reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of the UNEP report as it had reviewed its use of bio-remediation as the principal clean up technique appropriate for the Niger Delta.

It added: “SPDC is working with several additional remediation options recommended by independent experts to ensure that the most appropriate techniques are applied in all impacted sites.”

It further emphasised that in line with the UNEP position, treating the problem of environmental pollution in Ogoni land merely as a technical clean-up exercise is what would result in failure.

It therefore urged coordinated and collaborative action to end the widespread pipeline sabotage, crude oil theft and illegal refining of crude which it claimed are the main causes of environmental pollution in Ogoni land and the Niger Delta in general.