Rivers reopens Shell’s Kidney Island asset after meeting with NNPC GMD

Rivers state government has reopened Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) operational base, Kidney Island, after it was taken over on December 23, 2020.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Kelvin Ebiri, special assistant to the governor of Rivers state on media.

The state government had sealed Shell’s operational base after it claimed to have obtained a certificate of purchase registered in Port Harcourt’s lands registry.

It said the facility (Kidney Island) and Shell’s 30 percent stake in oil mining lease (OML) 11 were “lawfully purchased through public auction ordered by the High Court of Rivers state”.

Reacting to the purported takeover, Shell said the sealing of Kidney Island asset or any other assets of the SPDC joint venture (JV) was premature and prejudicial to the ongoing court proceedings, and therefore not recognised.

However, the state government took a U-turn following an indoor meeting with Mele Kyari, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on December 31, 2020, in Port Harcourt.

“Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, after a meeting with Kyari, directed the immediate reopening of Kidney Island for the operators (Shell),” the statement read.

Kyari also commended Wike and Rivers state government for their cooperation, “while further discussion to resolve the underlying issues continue”.