Abuja — The Federal Government and Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA) have reacted sharply to the report credited to the United Nations Environmental Programme(UNEP) by the international media that its three-year investigation, conducted and funded with $9.5million by Shell Petroleum Company, had revealed that only 10 percent of the pollution in Ogoniland was caused by equipment failure and company negligence and that the rest was caused by the community.

The reactions, which generated global outrage and condemnation from Nigerians all over the country, had prompted the Federal Government to fault UNEP which has not submitted its report to the government.

The Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey in a press release stated that UNEP was invited to assist in the clean up of contaminated areas in Ogoniland, and based on what UNEP saw during their tour of all local government areas in Ogoniland, they recommended to carry out a baseline environmental assessment study, so as to know the level of contamination, the actual areas impacted by oil, the type of technology and methodology to adopt in the clean-up of the sites.

They were expected to submit their report to the Federal Government by the end of this year and not to apportion blame or exonerate anyone on the spill that occured in Ogoniland.

"Going by the shocking disclosure credited to Mike Cowing, head of the UNEP team, it is important to state that the report from UNEP was being expected and the exoneration of Shell is unfounded and unacceptable. Shell has been the main operator within the oil fields in Ogoniland and it has admitted its responsibility for some of the spills that happened before it left the area in 1993.

"It is the responsibility of Shell to clean up the oil spill sites. Also, following my meeting with all industry operators in the oil sector in a bid to come up with contingency plans for remediation of impacted sites, clear measures have been taken to ensure actual remediation of impacted sites in all oil operation sites," he added.

Also reacting to the report, the Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA), has described UNEP's outburst as outrageous and scandalous.

The Executive Director of ERA, Nnimmo Bassey, said we are aware that Shell had for years, sponsored and orchestrated campaigns to exonerate itself from the atrocities that it committed on Ogoniland which led to the death of Ken Saro- Wiwa .

"We are appalled that a United Nations agency would risk its reputation and engage in image laundering for Shell, such reports should be consigned to the waste bins, because its contents is an affront on Ogoniland and the Niger Delta people whose rivers, streams, farmlands and health have been adversely affected by the voracious appetite of Shell for oil in the last 50 years", he added.